


Taming a Little Dragon

by morshon



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-21
Updated: 2014-04-26
Packaged: 2017-12-24 05:22:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 51,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/935886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morshon/pseuds/morshon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Regina and Emma are happily married and work towards adding a little one to the family! This is a sequel to Tame the Dragon, I would suggest reading it first but it's not totally necessary. Magic!Baby fic, rated M for Swan Queen sexy times.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Emma, get in this water right now!"

 

"No."

 

"Emma."

 

"That dolphin is looking at me like it's going to hump me."

 

"Emma Swan-Mills."

 

"Did you know that 14 dolphin assaults are reported each year in the United States? Just the United States! It's going to hump me. I'm like irresistible to everything…"

 

"Not right now." Regina answered. She was bobbing in the lake in front of the cabin next to a very well trained dolphin she borrowed from Sea World for the day, magically of course and she was sure that this had to be the most ridiculous point of her 60 odd years of living. Not only was she wearing a life jacket and a wet suit, her new wife was throwing a tantrum worthy of a two year old. "Need I remind you that this is your fault? You're the one that told your mother that we were going to Key West for our honeymoon and that we were going to do all kinds of "touristy" things like swim with dolphins. You were also the one who promised her pictures and you've put this off all week."

 

"What was I supposed to tell her? We aren't going anywhere because we're just going to have a ton of sex and try and figure my magic out? Key West just sorta came out and then she got all squeally and excited…" Emma trailed off, still staring down the dolphin that was mimicking Regina in the water. They were only a few feet away from the dock, both pairs of eyes watching her every move.

 

"I promise I won't let Shirley hurt you. Do you trust me?" Regina had to bring out the big guns. She had been in the water over a half an hour just waiting on Emma to get in with her and her wetsuit was becoming increasingly restricting.

 

"Yes." Emma sighed and knew she was going to have to get in. When Regina resorted to the "trust me" line she meant business. "What kind of name is Shirley anyway?" 

 

"Her name. Shirley, do you promise not to hump Emma?" Regina asked the dolphin. Shirley answered with an enthusiastic nod of her head and then she dove under the water only to resurface right next to the dock. Regina had to marvel at these animal's intelligence. They weren't something they had in Fairytale Land and she found herself quite fascinated by them. 

 

Emma finally slipped into the water and watched in horror as Shirley came up right beside her. Regina held the waterproof camera up and laughed when the dolphin touched her nose to Emma's cheek. Emma's eyes bugged out and when the camera clicked she was sure Shirley's chatter was laughter. The creature dove under the water again and Emma swam towards Regina for protection. 

 

"She patted me on the back with her flipper, like she knew I was scared or something." Emma said when she got closer to Regina. 

 

"She probably did. I'm sure she can sense fear. They are incredibly intelligent creatures." Regain handed Emma the camera and when Shirley popped up next to them Regina grabbed onto her fin. Shirley took off, gliding on the top of the water and pulling Regina with her. Emma clicked a few pictures, hoping that the camera would catch the uninhibited look her wife carried with her and the smile that stretched across her face. Emma thought she looked amazingly beautiful out here like this and she hoped that she could always make Regina that happy. 

 

When they circled back around Regina let go as they approached Emma and the momentum from the ride carried her into her arms. The camera was forgotten and just floated on top of the water as Emma circled her arms around Regina's waist. 

 

"This is pretty cool." Emma said. She noticed Shirley watching them intently and laughed when the dolphin pushed the camera towards them. Regina picked it up and when Shirley popped up in between them she snapped another picture. 

 

"It is, but I should probably send her back. Someone's bound to notice she's missing sometime soon." Regina said, a hint of regret in her voice. 

 

Emma noticed and despite her earlier fears she actually was enjoying herself. "Hey, we'll do this again okay? Maybe we should actually plan a trip down to Florida for real?"

 

Regina knew they could cross the town boundary without any consequences now, but she still wasn't actually comfortable with it. Emma had seemed content to stay in Storybrooke the last few years, but maybe a real vacation was something her wife needed. "Maybe we should. If you're with me, perhaps I won't find the outside world so daunting." Regina admitted quietly. 

 

"I'd keep you safe. You wouldn't have to worry about anything." Emma said. She knew that the few times they had left Storybrooke, it had weighed heavily on Regina and she never seemed to let her guard back down until they were safely across the town line again. 

 

"I know you would." Regina answered. She waved her hand in Shirley's direction and with a swirl of purple smoke she disappeared. "Come on. Let's get out of these horrendous wetsuits and get dinner going. You're going to need your strength tonight."

 

"Oh yeah?" Emma wiggled her eyebrows in Regina's direction. 

 

"Yes. For magic practice." Regina laughed as Emma's face fell instantly. "Maybe if it goes well though…" She trailed off as she hoisted herself out of the water on to the dock and smiled to herself when she heard Emma's laughter. 

 

"You're never going to go easy on me are you?" 

 

"No. Never." Regina held her hand out and helped pull Emma up and out of the water. She kissed her lightly when they were face to face again and whispered, "I love you."

 

"I love you too. Now let's go get out of these wetsuits. I gotta pee." 

 

Regina simply shook her head and took Emma's hand as they made their way up to the cabin. 

 

SQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQ

 

"Again, Emma." Regina watched as Emma closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. She knew that the repetitiveness of making the ball appear and disappear was slowly eating away at her wife's last nerve, but it was the only way she new to teach her how to harness her power. Magic was like a muscle and if she didn't learn to control it, it would always control her. 

 

"This is stupid. I'm never going to have to make a ball appear. I can do magic when I have to." Emma knew that she sounded whiny, but she was physically and emotionally drained from their practice. 

 

"That's the problem Emma. Your magic is very much tied to your emotions and we need to make sure you can separate the two. The reason you can't control it is because it does come so easily when you feel something, whether it's anger or protectiveness or even happiness. Once you learn to do magic when you aren't emotional then controlling it when you are is going to be that much easier." Regina walked forward and laid her hand on Emma's cheek, smiling when the blonde leaned into it and covered her hand with her own. She felt Emma's lips press into her palm and her own eyes fluttered shut. 

 

"Can we be done for the night? I just want to crawl in bed and curl up with you." Emma lowered their linked hands, but kept their fingers laced together as she kept her eyes on Regina's face, looking for any sign she would relent. 

 

"I suppose we can do that. You have done quite well tonight." Regina knew she was giving in too easily, but she was feeling drained from their session as well and the thought of wrapping herself up with the woman and falling asleep sounded like bliss. 

 

"Besides, the sooner we go to sleep the sooner we can wake up. I'm hoping you'll wake me up like you did the first time we stayed here." Emma tugged on their linked hands, leading them back towards their bedroom. 

 

"Is your mind always in the gutter, dear?" 

 

"Most of the time. Especially when I'm around you."

 

"Especially?" Regina stopped their progress and quirked an eyebrow at the blonde. 

 

"Um, I meant only. Only around you." Emma smirked and continued. "Now come on, Naked Regina is my favorite Regina so let's get to it." 

 

"I can't believe I married you."

 

"I can't really either, but you can't back out now. You're all mine. Forever." 

 

"Who knew that word would actually ever be a comfort to me?" Regina said. She glanced down at the diamond ring on her finger, still not quite used to the added weight of the wedding band on her hand and she smiled to herself at how right it all felt. When she looked up she saw curious green eyes watching her and she just smiled back, ending anymore conversation by stripping off her clothes and gesturing to the bed. Once they were situated, with strong arms wrapped around her middle, she whispered a soft thank you. The only response was the arms wrapped around her squeezing her a little tighter. 

 

SQSQSQSQSQSQSQ

 

The next morning when Regina woke up she realized it did feel oddly reminiscent of their first morning together. Only this time Emma was the one trying desperately to wake her up. Keeping her eyes closed she reveled in the feeling of the tongue grazing her hard nipple and when Emma's mouth closed over it fully, sucking and pulling, she couldn't contain the moan that escaped. Green eyes flicked up to brown and Regina's only response was to thread her fingers into blonde curls and pull the woman down closer, encouraging the onslaught to continue. Regina spread her legs, a silent hint, and when the blonde settled in between them she raised her knees up and clamped them around the blonde, holding her tight between her thighs. She moved and rolled her hips, in time with the blonde's ministrations on her breast, her center grinding into the taunt stomach hovering above her. 

 

"God, Regina you're so fucking gorgeous." Emma pulled up just long enough to convey her words and move over the other nipple begging for attention. She moaned loudly when the hands in her hair tugged just a little bit harder at her words and it spurred her on. When she felt one of Regina's hands slip out of her hair she tried to rise up a little, knowing where that hand was headed, but the legs clamped around her didn't budge. She flicked her eyes up and Regina only smirked, the hand in question moving deftly between them as it found its target. As two long fingers slid between her folds, slick with her need, Emma momentarily forgot her task at hand and her eyes slammed shut. The sensation of being filled by her wife still almost too much to handle. She was quickly brought back from the brink when the loan hand still threaded in her hair tightened its hold again and Regina arched her back, pushing the breast further into her mouth. 

 

Regina continued moving her hips, grinding her center against her own hand buried in the woman above her. She felt the pulsing deep in her own belly and when she knew the blonde was on the edge with her she curled her fingers forward and with a few quick thrusts she took them both over the edge. She tugged on the blonde's hair again and crashed their lips together as they both came down from the high. 

 

When Emma pulled back to look at Regina she had tears gathering in her eyes and she tried to shake them away. The grip on her hair was released and Regina's thumb caught one of the tears spilling down her cheek. No words were needed to express the feelings flowing between them and Emma simply buried her head in the crook of Regina's neck. Regina slipped her hand out from between them and gathered the blonde fully in her arms before they both let sleep take them over. 

 

Neither woman noticed the golden light emanating from them both. 

 

SQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQ

 

The next time Regina woke up she was alone and the smell of bacon was wafting in from the kitchen. Stretching a little, she smiled to herself and decided she was going to take advantage of their last morning at the cabin before heading back to the mansion. Following the smell she padded lightly down the hallway and found Emma grumbling to herself in the kitchen. 

 

"Something wrong?" Regina asked when several curse words fell from the blonde's lips.

 

Spinning around it took Emma a moment to respond because the sight of a very naked Mayor standing in the kitchen was something she needed to commit to memory. "Ah, no. I wanted to make you crepes like you made for me that one time, but the batter ended up all lumpy. So you're just getting plain old pancakes. Hopefully." 

 

Regina closed the gap between them and snaked her arms around Emma's waist. "Good thing I like your pancakes." 

 

Emma leaned down and gave her a quick good morning kiss before untangling the arms wrapped around her. "You're naked. Go sit over there so I don't accidentally burn you or something…"

 

"This really is feeling like that first morning. Is this the part where I tell you I was probably so good this morning that I got you pregnant?" Regina said as she took a seat at the bar. She felt a little silly sliding onto the barstool without anything covering herself, but she decided to humor Emma and forgo clothes until after they ate. 

 

"No, because I'm the one getting you pregnant." Emma punctuated the statement with a wave of the spatula, flinging drops of batter all over the counter. 

 

"Please." Regina scoffed. 

 

Emma just stared at the brunette, the hurt clearly visible in her eyes. "I thought we talked about having a baby…" 

 

Realizing they weren't just poking fun anymore, Regina hopped off the stool and made her way back over the the blonde. "We did…talk to me." She took the spatula out of Emma's hand and stepped in closer, a sigh of relief escaping when she felt two hands come to rest on her hips. 

 

"I just, I guess the way you said that made me think you didn't want that…" Emma said, her face still etched in confusion. 

 

"Of course I want that. I just..well you're going to be the one carrying the baby--not me. You know, since you were the one who had Henry?"

 

"Well I assumed you were going to be the one to get pregnant, since I was the one that had Henry. One each, right?" 

 

"Mmmmm, perhaps we left a few details out whenever we talked about it…" Regina trailed off, her mind reeling at the fact they'd both made such a big assumption without voicing anything. 

 

"A few details? Try one giant detail." Emma couldn't contain herself any longer and she started to shake, the laughter bursting from her chest, unable to hold it in. "Oh god we're idiots."

 

"We? No, your parents are idiots. You come by it naturally. Why on earth did you think I would be the one to get pregnant? I'm si…I'm older than you." Regina took a step back and crossed her arms over her bare chest, somehow still conveying a sense of superiority despite being naked.

 

"Not that much. I mean yeah, the whole 28 years thing, but time was frozen, you didn't age at all. I figured that means your ovaries didn't either." Emma still couldn't seem to contain herself and continued to chuckle while she flipped the pancakes still cooking on the stove. 

 

"You don't think…well how are we supposed to know who's going to get pregnant when we start trying?" Regina said slightly panicked now that the situation was sinking in. 

 

"I'm definitely not the one to ask here. You're the magic guru. How'd it work back in the Enchanted Forest?" Emma started to plate up their breakfast, trying to move around her wife who was still standing frozen in the middle of the kitchen. 

 

"I don't know. I just know it happened. I didn't go and start interrogating the lesbians or anything." 

 

Seeing that Regina wasn't just going to snap out of it Emma approached her slowly and pulled her back into her arms. "Hey, just calm down. I want a baby and you want a baby, right?" Emma watched as Regina slowly nodded her head yes. "Okay, so really that's the important thing right? We'll just have to see what happens…besides I think you'd look hot pregnant…" She backed up just in time to miss the swinging arm and laughed when Regina lunged at her again. "Hey! knock it off. We have to eat before all this gets cold. You okay?"

 

"I suppose. I guess we'll just see who's magic is stronger won't we?" Regina smirked and made her way to the table, leaving a gaping blonde in her wake. 

 


	2. Chapter Two

Regina swirled the last sip of cider in her glass and watched the flames dance in the fire place, enjoying the quiet the house was offering her for the evening. They had only been back from their honeymoon for a week but they had quickly fallen back into their normal routine. Which was why she found herself alone for the evening with Henry and Emma over at the Charming's for dinner. She was always invited as well, and sometimes she even accepted, but tonight she felt that she needed some time alone with her thoughts. Her mind had been jumping back to Emma's assumption that she would be the one to carry their baby all week and she couldn't decide how that made her feel. She oscillated between flattered, terrified, and just a little bit of excitement at the possibility. 

 

She was flattered because while she no longer sought validation from Emma about her feelings for her, it was amazing that the woman would trust her with such an enormous task. She felt proud in a way that Emma felt her genes were good enough to pass along to another human being. It was silly maybe to be proud of that, but there was a time in her life that she herself wouldn't have wanted to pass anything in her life along to anyone else. Which led her to being terrified. What if there was something in her that was innately prone to violence and vengeance? Would being raised in a house full of love be enough to overcome that? When she first held Henry in her arms she didn't have such fears. He didn't have her DNA and she knew she would read enough books, study enough material, to be able to raise him into a fine young man, despite how she was raised. She didn't realize at the time it all meant nothing if she didn't truly pour her whole heart into it. It had been the missing ingredient and once that fell into place it seemed that everything else did too. 

 

Excitement fluttered in her stomach when she thought about how amazing it was going to be to actually start the next part of their lives together. She had tried to control everything in her life before and it never seemed to work out for her in the end. Learning to live life and not hang on too tightly to everything had been a hard lesson, but maybe that's why she was finding it easier to come to terms with such a big unknown. All the good things in her life had come to her when she stopped trying to control everyone and every detail. This was certainly one thing she wasn't going to have any control over. Either way it was going to work out exactly like it should and she was going to be ecstatic about which ever outcome came to pass. 

 

There was a part of her though, that hoped Emma would be able to carry the child for them so she could experience a pregnancy without the baggage she'd had to carry with her the last time. To be able to enjoy the baby's first kick and hearing the heartbeat without a sense of impending doom behind them was something she wanted so badly for Emma, sort of re-do in life that she felt Emma deserved. She had saved so many and done so much good in her time in Storybrooke that hopefully the universe would deem it fair to let her re-experience the miracle of bringing a human being into the world. She knew Emma wouldn't see it the same way and would remind her that without giving Henry up they would have never have met and then tell her all the reasons that she herself deserved to experience it, but that was a great thing Regina had realized about relationships: how amazing it was that unbridled unselfishness came back to you in spades. 

 

She smiled to herself when she heard the front door bang open and shut, knowing she would soon be joined in the study by the one who had occupied her thoughts all evening. 

 

"Boo!" Emma yelled when she walked in the study.

 

"Nice try dear, but your inability to properly shut a door alerted me to your presence already." Regina answered as she stood to greet her wife. 

 

"I know, one of these days though…" Emma gathered Regina in her arms and buried her head in the crook of her neck, soaking in the love and warmth radiating off of the brunette. "You okay?" She asked when she felt arms tighten around her.

 

"Yes, I'm really good actually. I love you." Regina answered simply. 

 

"Mmm, I love you too." Emma leaned in and pressed her lips into waiting ones, lingering just a little bit before pulling back. "You finally work out everything that's been running through your head this week?" 

 

Sighing, Regina let her head fall onto Emma's shoulder. "Yes. I can't hide anything from you anymore can I?" 

 

"Lesbihonest, you never really could." 

 

"Funny. I can't believe you're still using that phrase."

 

"It's hilarious! Anyway, no you can't hide anything from me. Especially when I feel everything you feel. I think my magic has made me even more sensitive to you." Emma rubbed at her stomach a little. "I kept getting all these jumping feelings…like butterflies but not really…I couldn't place them. I figured you'd talk when you were ready."

 

Releasing her hold on the blond, Regina turned and made her way to the bar to pour herself another glass of cider. "Would you like some?"

 

"No I'm good. I think I ate too much tonight." Emma flopped herself onto the couch and waited for Regina to join her. 

 

"You always eat too much." Regina took a seat beside Emma and curled her legs up underneath her, leaning heavily into Emma's side. "I was just thinking about the possibility of me actually carrying the baby. On one hand it scares me to death and on the other I would love to give you a gift like that…"

 

Emma didn't answer right away, she just put her arm around Regina and pulled her in closer. After a few moments she said, "The being scared to death thing is completely normal. It's just a part of it. The gift thing? It would be pretty amazing to be able to support you carrying our child."

 

"I feel the same way about it, the being amazing part, were it to be you pregnant. I think I'm just excited about it either way." Regina said, wanting Emma to know that she'd come to terms with the outcome being out of her hands. 

 

"Yeah?" Emma looked towards Regina searching her eyes for confirmation. When she found it she continued, "I guess we better start trying the next new moon then, huh?" 

 

"I guess so." Regina sipped her cider and smiled into the firelight, shaking her head a little at the domesticity of the situation. "I suppose we should tell Henry we're going to be trying…"

 

"Yeah, maybe tomorrow? By the way, you're loving son skipped out of dinner early to meet up with some friends and left me alone with my parents. Not that I don't love hanging out with them…but you'd think they'd catch a clue that maybe I didn't want to discuss the details of my honeymoon with them. I've never had to sidestep so many damn questions in my life." 

 

"He may have mentioned something about that to me earlier. It must have slipped my mind." Regina confessed with a smirk.

 

"Regina!"

 

"What? Need I remind you you were late to our wedding? You should just expect more "punishments" like that for awhile and I'll be anything but traditional. Sending you to the couch for the night doesn't seem to cut it in a situation like this. Besides, I wouldn't have anyone to keep me warm." 

 

"God, why do I find that so attractive?" Emma smiled, glad that for the time being Regina's emotions didn't seem to be jumping around as much and her stomach settled down for the first time all week. 

 

"Because you love me." Regina answered simply. 

 

SQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQ

 

"Henry, your mother and I have something to talk to you about." Regina said as she set down an enormous piece of chocolate cake in front of him. She ran her hand over the top of his head once before taking a seat at the table again. 

 

Henry looked back and forth between the two women and then down again at the cake. Emma looked like she was going to pass out and fall right out of her chair and his other mother had her hands linked in front of her. She had the look she always got in meeting when she was _trying_ to look unassuming and harmless. He took one more look at the cake and then it hit him. "Oh God! You're pregnant!" he screeched.

 

Regina's eyes went wide and Emma just started opening and closing her mouth. Regina was the first to recover. "No..no…we're not." She glanced at Emma for some help.

 

"Yet." Emma said.

 

"What?" Henry asked, his mouth full of cake. His mom always made the best cake when she was feeling guilty or sorry.

 

"Don't talk with your mouth full young man. What Emma is trying to say is that we are going to start trying to get pregnant. If you're okay with it that is." 

 

"Um, yeah sure. I just kinda assumed it would happen. I think it'd be kinda cool to have a brother or a sister." Henry smiled at both his mom's, noticing how both of them seemed to be relieved at his answer. "Who's gonna get pregnant?"

 

"We don't know. We're going to try magically first and we won't really be able to control that process. If it doesn't work though, down the line we might have to look into other options." Regina answered. 

 

"Okay."

 

"Okay? That's it kid? Nothing else? You're not going to throw a fit or anything?" Emma couldn't believe it was that easy. 

 

"No, why would I? I'll have someone to blame stuff on and you two will be so busy taking care of a little baby that you'll hardly notice what I'm getting up to in my last years of high school." Henry grinned cheekily at the two of them.

 

"Need I remind you young man I ran an entire kingdom and had eyes everywhere? And that I run an entire town now and that I still have eyes everywhere?" Regina knew that he was just trying to wind them up, but I little reinforcement of her power never hurt anything. 

 

"Everywhere?" He asked sheepishly. 

 

"Everywhere. So if you think you're alone when you sneak a girl under the bleachers at the football stadium think again." 

 

Henry didn't answer, his face just turned several shades of red and he bolted from the table as soon as he shoved the last piece of cake in his mouth. Emma managed to contain her laughter until they heard his door shut upstairs. 

 

"Oh god! You are terrifying Regina! That was priceless." Emma said as she started to calm herself down. 

 

Regina simply crossed her arms and looked at the blonde. "Yes, well you would do well to remember that I have eyes everywhere also. Don't think I didn't know about your attempt to buy q-tips at the pharmacy the other day." 

 

"What?! I didn't try and buy any. Sneezy is a lying…I don't have to buy them when I know you have them in your underwear drawer…damn it…" Emma tapered off and looked up at her wife with the same sheepish look Henry had worn moments ago. "You are good. And so, so pretty…" 

 

"You're still doing the dishes. I'm going to go get my shower done for the evening and apparently I have to find a new hiding place for your addiction." Regina started to make her way out of the room before turning back towards her wife at the doorway, "We told him…"

 

"We did. This just got real huh?"

 

"Very real." 

 

When Regina didn't continue on her way upstairs, Emma crossed the room in a few quick steps and pulled her in for a hug. "We got this, Regina. In a few weeks we'll start our first try and we'll go from there. It'll be okay." 

 

"Thank you. I may continue to have freak outs."

 

"It's fine. Just as long as we keep being honest with each other. That's all that matters. Emma turned Regina towards the stairs by her shoulders and gave her a little shove towards them, pushing her luck a little with a pat on the butt. "Now, go shower and hide my stash…" 

 

Regina only shook her head, trying to keep her smile contained and she started up the stairs.


	3. Chapter Three

"Okay, six mangos and I am outta here. How the hell do you pick good mangos out?" Emma mumbled to herself, double checking the list Regina gave her that morning. 

 

"Just squeeze them. You don't want them to be too soft or too firm." Snow said from behind her daughter.

 

Emma jumped slightly at the intrusion but managed not to drop the fruit she currently had in her hand. "First of all it's creepy to sneak up on someone like that and second how do you know about mangos?"

 

"I'm not creepy. And I know about mangos because I ate them all the time when I was pregnant with you. I couldn't get enough of them." Snow answered, picking up a few mangos to try and help her daughter out. "Why are you doing the shopping? I thought you were banned or something?"

 

"Regina thought this was another suitable punishment for my being late to the wedding. I "get" to do the shopping for a month. With the help of her very detailed list, of course." 

 

"Um…I've been meaning to ask you about that…you didn't tell her why you needed to go sleep somewhere else that night did you?" Snow asked as she continued to squeeze various mangos, trying to sneak glances in Emma's direction out of the corner of her eye.

 

"You mean did I tell my _wife_ the truth about what happened the morning of our _wedding_? Yes, I did." 

 

"So she's known about it and she hasn't yelled at me or anything? Does that mean she isn't mad at me? I mean you made it in time after all…"

 

"Of course she's mad at you. I am sure that's she plotting some horrible revenge on you, but that's for you to deal with. I'm staying out of it." Emma set down the mango she squeezed a little too hard and smiled to herself. "You have to appreciate her being so goal orientated--especially when it comes to plotting things against you. I mean she really has been unwavering in her relentlessness after all these years." 

 

"No, that's not really something I have to appreciate. At all." Snow said, shaking her head slightly. 

 

"Well, maybe not you--but I sure love that about her. I mean her being so goal orientated--not the whole plotting against you thing…I mean…" Emma trailed off, knowing that she was only digging herself a deeper hole. "Just help me pick out some mangos."

 

"Wait, why do you need so many mangos anyway? Are you craving them?! Are you pregnant!?" 

 

"Could you keep your voice down? Jesus mom, I can buy mangos and not be pregnant. They're actually for Regina. I assume she needs them for dinner tonight."

 

"Oh, well I guess it was just wishful thinking…it would just be so amazing to have a grandchild…" Snow said dreamily. 

 

"Regina will kill me if I tell you without her around," Emma started shifting from foot to foot, the urge to run increasing by the second, "But we are in the produce section so it's kinda fitting…" Emma started laughing at her own joke before the comprehension finally hit Snow. 

 

"Oh my God!!!" Snow screeched.

 

"Yep, we're going to be _producing_ a baby!" Emma was grinning wildly, the fear of Regina's backlash subsiding for the moment.

 

"Emma, that is…never mind...I'm so happy for you! I am going to be there for you every step of the way, just like I should have been the first time." Snow said, the tears gathering in her eyes. She wanted to pull Emma into her arms but she knew her daughter wouldn't want a scene in public. 

 

"Whoa! Hold on there Snow. Who said I was having the baby? Why does everyone keep assuming that?" Emma suddenly sobered.

 

"Emma, honey, you had Henry..and Regina is….well she's Regina. There's no way she's going to be getting pregnant." 

 

"You don't know that." 

 

"You're right. I don't, and I will love my little grand baby either way." Snow settled for patting Emma's arm, trying for some connection with her daughter. 

 

"Damn right you will. Regina really is going to kill me." Emma grabbed one extra mango just to be on the safe side. "Speaking of Regina I better get going. Henry's gone tonight so…anyway I better get going. I'll see you later ok?"

 

"Okay honey, I love you." Snow watched her daughter hurry out of the produce section and she smiled to herself. She couldn't wait to get home and tell David the news. 

 

SQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQ

 

When Emma pulled into their driveway she was relieved to see Regina's Mercedes wasn't there yet. She had decided to make a quick stop at Game of Thorns on her way home and was glad to see she was going to be able to set up her little surprise for Regina before she got there. She grabbed the bouquet of sunflowers she'd picked up, along with the grocery bags and lugged them into the house. She made quick work of getting everything put away before she sat down to write a little note to her wife. They hadn't really made specific plans for the evening, other than knowing that it was the evening that they would be trying to make a baby together and that they wanted to have a nice dinner together. Emma wanted to make it as romantic as possible and as she finished up the note she decided that maybe it would be a good idea to get dinner started so that they weren't rushing when Regina came home. The only problem with that was she didn't know what Regina had planned on making. She grabbed her phone and sent Regina a quick text. 

 

**What do you want me to do with all these mangos? Peel them or something?**

 

The response came through quickly. 

 

_What?_

 

**I thought I would get dinner started for us, figured it would leave us more time for later…**

 

_The mangos aren't for dinner. I have a chicken pot pie in the refrigerator, it only needs heated up._

 

Emma read Regina's response twice, her mind floating back to her Mother's comment at the store. The rational part of her brain knew that they had not even tried yet but what else would cause a sudden need for so much of the fruit?

 

**Then why did you need so many mangos?**

 

_If you must know I read an article about how good vitamin C is for your skin and decided I needed to include more in my diet. What's with all the questions?_

 

Emma sighed in relief. She was going to have to reign in the crazy during this process or she was going to end up driving them both mad. 

 

**Nothing. I'll tell you about it when you get home. I'll heat up dinner.**

 

_I'll be home in 30 minutes. See you soon._

 

SQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQ

 

Regina pulled into the driveway and left her car idling, wanting to take a few minutes to gather herself before she went inside. Tonight was _the_ night. She wasn't exactly nervous and that was what was keeping her in the car. She didn't know what she was feeling or what she _should_ be feeling. The skeptical part of her brain was thinking that they would more than likely not actually be successful the first time, but the other part of wanted to hope for it. Hoping too much though would lead to disappointment if it didn't work and she wasn't sure she wanted to feel that way either. She was excited to start trying and scared she wouldn't have whatever it was they needed to actually make a baby together. She gripped the steering wheel as her mind started to spin with all the possibilities. 

 

She was jolted back to reality when she saw movement in the house and realized sitting there was only making things worse. She needed to go inside and take comfort in what she had already, not dwell on the what if's and the maybe's. She smiled to herself as she opened the car door, realizing that whatever the future brought she could no longer say fate wasn't kind to her. 

 

When she made it into the entry way she called out to Emma, surprised she hadn't met her at the door. After setting her purse and keys down on the side table she made her way towards the kitchen in search of her wife. As she walked by the dining room she did a double take at the large arrangement of sunflowers sitting on the table. Smiling widely at the sight she made her way over and picked up the note leaned against the vase. 

 

_Regina,_

_It's been awhile since I've done this so I figured that today was as good a day as any to start again. I'm calling it our Maybe Baby Day. Sunflowers can mean faith, nourishment, magic, good luck, focus, or flexibility--all of which we will be needing tonight. Yes, even flexibility--just wait! I also got you sunflowers because I know that every time you see them you smile. I don't want us to lose sight of what's important during this process and for me that means making sure that you feel loved and happy. Over the next few weeks when the what if's start to creep in please just take a minute and look at these, take a deep breath, smile, and remember that I love you._

_Your wife,_

_Emma_

_PS--Remember that one time that you told me all I had to do was put the pot pie in the oven for dinner? I got a little distracted but it shouldn't be too much longer until it's done. Why don't you join me on the patio for a glass of wine while we wait?_

 

Regina laughed a little at the post script and made her way to the kitchen to check the oven timer. With a little over 10 minutes left she made her way out back to find her wife. 

 

"Perfect timing." Emma said when Regina stepped through the patio doors. "I was just going to open the wine." 

 

"That's a lovely thought dear but should we really be drinking on the night we're going to try and conceive? Magically I might add?" Regina laughed a little at the baffled look Emma had on her face. 

 

"Crap...I didn't even think about that. We'd probably both end up pregnant or something if we were a little tipsy huh?" It was Emma's turn to laugh at the look of horror that flashed across Regina's face. 

 

"Can you imagine? One of us wouldn't survive." Regina said, before taking a seat on the outdoor sofa. She patted the empty spot next to her and Emma sat, pulling Regina's legs into her lap when she did. Regina let out a moan when Emma took her heels off and began rubbing her tired feet. 

 

"You keep moaning like that and we might have to skip dinner." Emma said. 

 

"Oh this is just to keep you motivated during dinner...wouldn't want you to eat too much..." Regina let out another moan when Emma's thumb hit a particularly sore spot on her arch. She let her head fall back and her eyes flutter shut as she moaned again. She laughed a little when Emma slapped at her calf. 

 

"Quit being a tease..." 

 

"Oh please, you act as if I won't be following through with this performance. I believe your timer is about to go off for dinner. Should we make our way in?" Regina asked, sitting up a little straighter. 

 

"I love you." Emma said, her eyes feasting on the sight before her. "Yeah, we can go eat." Emma gently set Regina's feet back down on the ground and stood, holding her hand out to help Regina up. 

 

Regina placed her hand in Emma's and let herself be pulled up. "I love you too." 

 

SQSQSQSQSQSQSQ

 

"This is the best chicken pot pie I have ever had…" Emma said, as she shoved the last bite in her mouth. 

 

"You always say that. About everything I cook." Regina replied, secretly pleased with the compliment. 

 

"It's always true." Emma leaned back in her chair and let her eyes wander over her wife's profile as she took her last bite. "So I kinda told my mom what we were doing tonight…"

 

"You what?!" Regina said, her eyes going wide at Emma's implication.

 

"I mean, not _exactly_ what we're doing tonight…but like the baby making part." Emma began twisting her napkin in her hands, hoping that her wife wasn't going to be too angry with her. "That okay?"

 

"You can't say things like that about your mother. I DO NOT want her knowing anything about our sex life. I know you're close but I can only handle so much." Regina sighed and leaned back in her chair, relieved at Emma's explanation. "And yes it's fine. I assumed you would have told her before this?"

 

"Well, we didn't really talk about telling other people and I know how much you love to wind her up…I didn't want to steal your thunder."

 

"Oh, I'll have my moment with Snow. It will be when I get to tell her that I've knocked up her very precious only child." Regina smirked and started to gather their plates up.

 

"You're the only person that can turn a baby into revenge." Emma said, following Regina into the kitchen.

 

"It's a talent. Does seeing your mother have anything to do with the Mango Inquisition?" 

 

"Yeah, sort of. I told her when I ran into her in the produce section…get it…produce?" Emma said, as she stepped in beside the brunette to help dry the dishes she was washing. 

 

"I get it." Regina said, shaking her head and trying to hide the smile on her lips. 

 

Emma bumped her shoulder into Regina's before continuing. "Anyway I was trying to pick out good mangos and she went all hyper chihuahua when she saw me with them. I guess she craved them the whole time she was pregnant with me and jumped to the completely un-obvious conclusion that I must be pregnant just because I was buying them." 

 

"Oh."

 

Emma turned to Regina when she didn't elaborate anymore on the subject and noticed that she'd gone a little pale. "Hey, you okay?"

 

"Yes. I just...well that is a bit odd." Regina continued to scrub the plate in her hand, despite it being spotless already. "You said that she craved them the whole time?"

 

"Hey," Emma gently took the plate out of Regina's hands before continuing, "You don't really think that's why you wanted mangos is it? I mean we haven't even tried and you said…"

 

"No, no of course not. It's ridiculous. It was just the thought of sharing pregnancy symptoms with your mother that scared me…" 

 

Emma could see very clearly that this was not actually the case, but decided for the sake of salvaging the evening she wasn't going to push the issue anymore. "Okay, anyway I told her they were for you and she dropped it. Those things really are good though…you _might_ only have four left. I kind of ate two when I was waiting for you to get home…"

 

"Is that what you meant by "you got a little distracted" in the note you left me? I love the flowers by the way. They're beautiful." It was Regina's turn to study the woman next to her. They were going to have to have a serious talk about jumping to conclusions if there was anyway they were going to survive this process. She knew tonight wasn't the night for that though and hoped she could distract Emma by moving them upstairs. "You know what? I'm tired of talking about your mother and mangos. How about we retire to the bedroom for the evening?" 

 

"Now that sounds like a fabulous idea." Emma circled her wife's waist and kissed her forehead, before turning and making her way towards the stairway with the brunette in tow.


	4. Chapter 4

 

 

Emma pulled Regina into their bedroom and as soon as they crossed the threshold she turned to her, intent shining in her eyes, but she froze the moment she looked into Regina's. "Uh…what um…how does this work?" She managed to stutter out. 

 

Regina took a moment to study her wife and she could see the panic setting in. She reached up and took Emma's face in her hands and leaned forward, ghosting her lips over Emma's before speaking. "First, you need to breath." Regina waited until she heard her take several deep breathes before she continued. "Second, we take off our clothes. Third, we climb into bed and forget we're trying to make a baby." 

 

"But…how?" Emma whispered, her eyes searching Regina's for an answer. "I don't want to screw this up." Emma reached up laced her fingers together with Regina's, holding them in place, their presence grounding her. 

 

"Emma, listen to me," Regina paused and kissed the lips in front of her. "You can't screw this up. Do you feel me?" Regina pulled Emma in closer and opened herself up more to their connection, allowing Emma to fully experience what she was feeling in that moment. 

 

Love, excitement, determination, tenderness, and protectiveness all swirled inside Emma and she managed a half smile. "I can't screw this up because we're in this together." 

 

"Exactly, my dear. And I don't fail. At anything." Regina smiled again and pulled her hands down from Emma's face. "Let's get you undressed shall we?" Regina led her over to the bed and gently shoved her down onto it. Without any hesitation Regina knelt down in front of her and began unlacing her boots. After she released one foot she glanced up at Emma to find her studying her, her half smile still in place. They both knew that Regina Swan-Mills didn't kneel for anyone and in that moment Emma knew just how much it meant. 

 

Before she knew it her other foot had been released and Regina was once again on her feet. With a smirk she pushed Emma onto her back and made quick work of the button and zipper on her jeans. She began tugging them over slender hips and when she got them down to Emma's thighs she laughed out loud. "Eager much?" She asked, continuing to pull the jeans off her. 

 

"I figured it would save us some time…I'm not wearing a bra either." Emma didn't usually feel comfortable under this much scrutiny, but tonight she was enjoying the way Regina was taking care of her.

 

"Now that I _had_ noticed. You really were enjoying that chicken pot pie…" Regina laughed and much to her own horror shrieked a little when their positions were suddenly shifted and she found herself on her back on the bed. Emma slipped her heels off quickly and made even quicker work of her dress slacks. Instead of just letting them pool on the floor Emma carefully laid them out on the chair in the corner and pulled her own shirt over her head before turning back to the bed. 

 

Regina had sat up and was in the excruciatingly slow process of unbuttoning her shirt one button at a time, her eyes never leaving Emma's. After what seemed like an eternity she finally reached the last one and the shirt fluttered open revealing a lacy black bra. She stood up in front of Emma, turning slowly so she faced away from her, her silent request immediately taken. 

 

Emma slid the shirt from her shoulders and tossed it onto the chair with her pants and unhooked her bra. She used both her hands to push the straps off Regina's shoulders and down her arms, taking advantage of their closeness by nipping at her neck. She continued her hands' path down the perfectly sculpted body in front of her once the bra had fallen away and hooked her fingers in the sorry excuse for underwear pulling them down to the floor. She ran her hands back up over tight calves, her fingernails scratching over thighs and the curved hips in front of her. She felt Regina shudder a little under her touch and she kissed her shoulder, wrapping her arms around her and kneading her breasts as she continued her onslaught up her neck. She nipped at her ear when she reached it and buried her face in brown hair, breathing in the smell that always lingered there--home. 

 

"Emma…" Regina just let herself be held in the moment, allowing the feeling of being wanted so deeply wash over her before she moved from Emma's grasp towards the bed. She sat cross-legged with her back towards the headboard and gestured to Emma to sit in front of her. Confused, Emma just continued to look at her. "I want you to lay down in front of me. Right here." She gestured again and this time Emma understood the request. She laid down, scooting herself as close to Regina as possible, wrapping her legs around the woman, stretching out in front of her, hands above her head. 

 

"Beautiful." Regina whispered, taking in the sight of Emma laying open in front of her. She began running her hands up and down Emma's thighs, dipping closer and closer to her center with each pass, sometimes drifting up past her hips and over her taunt stomach and back down. Changing tactics after a few minutes, she started to massage Emma's thighs, her hands digging into hard muscles higher and higher on her legs. When she reached the top of her legs she pushed them open wider and used both her thumbs to ghost over the silky wet folds, Emma's arousal visible. Emma moaned at the contact and tried to lift her hips up, wanting more pressure. 

 

Regina continued the soft strokes, using the palms of her hands to keep Emma pinned to the bed. Up and down, up and down, she continued the torture, the pattern never varying and never deepening, Emma's legs tensing and trying to clench together desperate for something more. Emma's hands moved to her own breasts, kneading and pinching and pulling at her hard nipples, the sight of her coming undone so thoroughly spurred Regina on even more. 

 

"Regina…please…" Emma whimpered, her glazed eyes seeking brown ones, begging for a release she knew wasn't coming yet. 

 

"Please what?" Regina asked, her thumbs never stopping their motion. 

 

"I need…" Her voice broke off into a moan as she rolled her own nipple between her fingers harder than before, needing the feeling to ground her. "I need more Regina, please." 

 

"Like this?" Regina asked as she slid one finger up through her wet folds, just grazing her hard clit before sliding back down, making sure she stayed a breath away from her entrance. "Or like this?" She asked before pushing her finger forward, sliding inside easily and pulling it back out slowly. The whimper Emma let out almost made Regina give in, but she stayed determined when Emma's hips lifted again. She used both her hands to push them back down and shifted so that she was on her knees. Leaning down she kissed Emma's stomach, her head sliding down further, using her tongue to trace the path her finger had just made. "All in good time my love." She said as she kissed a path back up her stomach, capturing a nipple between her teeth, sucking and biting and pulling. Her free hand palming Emma's other breast, her knee inching closer to where she needed the pressure the most. 

 

Emma's hands found their way to Regina's back, nails scratching up the length of it before she buried them in brown locks. She gripped her hard, her hands making fists as she held her mouth to her breast a moment longer before pulling it up and feasting on it with her own. Lips clashed together, their tongues swirling, teeth nipping and pulling. Emma's hips were moving, trying to grind against the woman above her but never finding purchase. She used the grip she still had on her hair to pull her back slightly and growled out, "Now….please." 

 

Regina paused, staring down at Emma watching her face as she moved her hand where it was wanted and slid two fingers inside, slowly pumping them in and out. As Emma's hips began to meet her thrusts with more and more abandon she buried her head in the crook of Emma's neck and whispered, "Emma please, I need you too…" 

 

Emma released one of her hands tangled in her hair and slid it down to Regina's center, rubbing her hand over the drenched folds a few times before pushing three fingers inside. The gasp from Regina worried Emma for a split second that it was too much before her hips started moving above her, each thrust bringing her in deeper. 

 

"Oh god…that's…Emma…" Regina moaned again, feeling herself hurtling closer and closer to the edge with each pump. "Get me pregnant Emma…" 

 

Emma cried out when she heard those words fall from Regina's lips, sending her instantly over the edge and with a curl of her fingers she sent Regina falling with her. 

 

They stayed wrapped up in each other's arms for several minutes neither wanting to break the spell they were under. Finally Regina began to pull back slightly, just enough to pepper kisses along Emma's neck and up her jawline towards her lips. "I love you." She whispered, before capturing them for a kiss. A few tears had leaked out the corners of her eyes and when Emma noticed them she untangled her arm to wipe them away. 

 

"I didn't hurt you did I?" She asked, worried that she'd been too rough. 

 

Regina shook her head no. "No, never. It was just…it was overwhelming how much I felt you…" She snuggled back down into Emma's embrace and tucked her head under her wife's chin. "I felt you need me. I never want to be without you…"

 

Emma kissed the top of Regina's head softly. "You'll never have to be. Let's get some sleep now." She dragged the covers over them with her free hand and wrapped it back around Regina once she had them tucked in as good as she could. Drifting off to sleep, her smile never faded. 

 

SQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQ

 

"Hello?" Regina said, answering her office phone on the first ring. 

 

"Hi Regina! It's Katherine." 

 

"Hi." Regina could practically hear Katherine's excitement bubbling through the phone.

 

"Can you leave work early? I have news." She asked, the hopefulness obvious in her voice. 

 

"I suppose I could. Is there a reason you can't just swing by the office?" 

 

"Regina." Katherine sighed heavily into the phone. 

 

"Alright. What time would you like to meet?" Regina smiled into the receiver. Whatever had her friend so excited was probably going to be worth cutting out an hour early. 

 

"Meet you at your place at 4?" 

 

"That sounds good. Do I get a hint?"

 

"No." 

 

Click. 

 

"I can't believe she just hung up on me." Regina said to her empty office. She pulled out her phone sent a quick text to Emma to let her know she was going home early to meet Katherine. A few minutes later her phone beeped with a response. 

 

**Weird. Ruby just asked me to meet her at the diner after work. Do you think they're planning something?**

 

Regina was highly doubtful that the two had gotten together to plan any such thing, but it never hurt to be cautious.

 

**_I doubt it, but keep me posted. I wouldn't put it past your mother to ambush us…_ **

 

**Regina.**

 

Regina laughed to herself. She was certainly in fine form today. 

 

**_Fine. Just text me if you're going to be too late. Love you._ **

 

**K. Love you too.**

 

Regina slid her phone back in her purse and started working on finishing up what she needed to before she had to head home.


	5. Chapter 5

"Snow! I said go hide in the back." Ruby wasn't above helping her best friend out, but she wasn't going to do it at the expense of her friendship with Emma. "If she sees you here she's going to go all kinds of crazy like the last time we told her to meet us here." 

 

"Okay, fine. I'll go hide. Just…you know what to do right?" Snow was wringing her hands together, her nerves showing more and more everyday since she had talked with Emma at the grocery store. 

 

"Snow. Go. Hide. She'll be here any minute." Ruby said, pointing to the back room. 

 

Snow didn't bother saying anything she just gave Ruby one last parting glare and made her way to the back room, hoping she wouldn't have to hide out too long so she could get some answers. 

 

Just as the door to the back room was swinging shut the bell above the front door chimed announcing Emma's arrival. Ruby kept her back to Emma for a moment to get her game face on before turning and greeting her. "Hey Ems!"

 

"Hi Ruby. What's going on?" Emma took her usual seat at the counter and eyed Ruby suspiciously. 

 

"What do you mean?" 

 

"I mean any time you summon me here to the diner it's usually because you and my mother are up to something…Where's she at?" Emma glanced around the diner, expecting to see her mother lurking somewhere. 

 

"Come on, it's not like that every time. Besides your mother isn't here. Maybe I just missed my friend?" Ruby said hopefully.

 

"No dice. Your friend is a walking lie detector. Now spit it out." Emma said unamused. She wasn't angry with Ruby she really did just want her to get on with it instead of wasting her time. 

 

Ruby sighed dramatically before going around the counter and plopping herself on the stool next to Emma. "Fine. You caught me," Ruby leaned a little closer to Emma before continuing, "She wanted me to ask you how things went the other night…" 

 

"Seriously?" Emma screeched.

 

"Um yeah, she didn't really want to ask you herself. Boundaries you know? She didn't think it would be right to ask about your sex life." Ruby was still leaning in close to Emma so that they weren't overheard by anyone else in the diner. 

 

"But she thought it would be okay to use you to ask? This is ridiculous. You tell my mother that when there is something to tell I will tell her. End of story." Emma gave Ruby an odd look before leaning back a little in her seat. "But if you wouldn't mind freaking her out a little tell her I said Regina can do this thing with her tongue…"

 

Ruby cut her off before she could continue. "Nope, never mind. I'm not passing that along. I have to draw the line somewhere." 

 

"And that's where you're going to draw it? Whatever. Tell my wimp of a mom I'll call her later this week and she'll be near the top of the list to know when there's something to tell."

 

"She won't be first?"

 

Emma's only response was a half smirk. She shifted out of her seat and stood to leave. 

 

"You really know how to push her buttons, huh?" Ruby said with a laugh. "She deserves it sometimes I guess. Can we hug this out?" 

 

"Are you okay Rubes? We don't hug…You're acting kinda weird." 

 

"I'm fine…it's uh, that time of the month…I just feel a little emotional…" Ruby struggled to get the words out. 

 

Emma took pity on her and reached out to give her a quick hug. Ruby's arms wrapped tightly around her neck and held her there for much longer than necessary before Emma got restless and pulled herself away. "Okay Ruby, maybe you need to go home early or something?" 

 

"Maybe. I'll see you later. I really do miss you--we need to plan a girls night out again." 

 

"You got it. I'll see you later." Emma turned and left the diner as fast as her legs would carry her. She new that Ruby got a little weird around a full moon but there was definitely something off today. With a shake of her head she started the bug and headed home. 

 

SQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQ

 

As soon as the door closed behind Emma, Snow came out from the back room. "So?"

 

"So I hate you. That was a disaster." Ruby growled out. 

 

"It didn't sound too bad. We knew she would make you tell her what I wanted. She'll be mad for a few days and then get over it. Did you figure anything out?" Snow asked. She'd tried to listen as much as she could through the door but parts of it were mumbled. 

 

"I couldn't…I couldn't get a good read on how she smelled so I had to trick her into hugging me. Even then I couldn't really…" 

 

"Couldn't what?" Snow was bouncing on her toes, her excitement visible. 

 

"I couldn't really tell. I mean she smelled sort of pregnant." Ruby scrunched up her nose, like she was still trying to recall what it was she sensed. 

 

"What do you mean sort of?" Snow asked, her tone instantly deflated. 

 

"I mean someone in that house is pregnant I just can't tell who." 

 

Snow let out a blood curdling squeal and started jumping up and down. "I'm gonna be a gra..."

 

Ruby threw her hand over Snow's mouth before she got the last part out. "Snow! You can't just scream that! It's too soon and Emma really will kill you if that rumor starts to spread early. You're going to just have to cool your jets until they tell you." 

 

"Okay. Okay, you're right." Snow started to pace and took a few deep breaths. "Okay, I can do this. See? All better. Oh my God! I have to go tell David!" She started getting excited again and Ruby just shoved her towards the door. 

 

"Just get out of here before you explode." Ruby said, laughing at the state her best friend was in. It actually was exciting, but Snow was taking to a whole new level. 

 

"Okay. And thank you so much. Let me know if you narrow it down…" Snow said, before she headed out the door. 

 

"No. You're just going to have to wait." Ruby smiled to take the sting out of her words, but she really was going to make the woman wait. 

 

"Fine." She exited dramatically and Ruby watched as she practically skipped down the sidewalk towards her house. 

 

SQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQ

 

Katherine was already waiting on the front porch when Regina pulled in the driveway. She could see her smile from the car and she wondered what could possibly have her friend so excited. She gathered up her purse and made her way to the front door.

 

"Katherine, it's good to see you." Regina said politely as she went to unlock the front door. 

 

"You to Regina. How was the honeymoon?" Katherine replied.

 

"Katherine, dear, I can tell you don't really want to know. Just give me a minute and I'll get us a bottle of wine opened up. Then you can share your news." Regina pushed open the door and set her purse down on the entryway table without looking back. She started towards the kitchen assuming the woman was following. 

 

"Actually, do you have some ice tea? I can't really drink wine with my condition…" Katherine stood by the kitchen door with her hand over her stomach waiting for Regina to turn back around. 

 

Regina turned slowly, the smile wide on her face. She crossed the room and gathered the stunned woman in her arms, hugging her tightly. She was mortified when she felt tears stinging her eyes and she tried to hold on just a little longer until she got them under control.

 

"Regina?" Katherine asked. She heard the sniffle, but she wasn't about to ask if she was okay. 

 

"I'm fine. It's allergies." Regina said with a laugh, pulling away from the embrace. 

 

"Sure, we'll go with that." Katherine nodded her head in total agreement. She was not equipped to deal with an emotional Regina.

 

"Congratulations, Katherine. I really mean that. Let me get us some ice tea and we can sit on the patio. I probably shouldn't be drinking wine right now anyway either." Regina turned back towards the refrigerator with a smirk. 

 

"Really Regina? Do you always have to one up everyone? I need details!" Katherine shook her head and smiled to take the sting out of her words. 

 

"Here, take this." Regina handed her a glass of ice tea and poured herself one before starting towards the patio. "Let's go outside."

 

"Spill." Katherine said when they sat down on the sofa outside. 

 

Regina took a sip of tea and hesitated before she answered. She hadn't actually said the words out loud yet to anyone other than Henry and she wasn't sure she knew how to do it. "Well,  Emma and I are trying to have a baby…"

 

"That's amazing Regina! I hope you get pregnant soon that way we can go through this together, like pregnancy buddies." Katherine said excitedly. 

 

"Well, it could be either of us that carries the baby. You might be pregnancy buddies with Emma." Regina looked at her friend, trying to gauge her reaction. 

 

"That would be fine too. I just really hope it's you. You'd be amazing. You'd be one of those woman who just fly through it without a single issue…"

 

Regina didn't say anything in response, a little shocked that this woman had so much faith in her. Emma believing in her was one thing, but having someone else on her side just felt…odd.

 

"Regina?" 

 

"Do you really think I'm capable?" She asked, her voice no louder than a whisper.

 

"Capable? Please, Regina you're the strongest woman I know. You're more than capable. And you deserve to go through it with a partner like Emma to take care of you."

 

Regina reached out and linked her hand with one of Katherine's, overwhelmed by the moment. "I didn't think I could do it, I didn't even think that I wanted to…I was so sure it would be Emma carrying the baby….and then last weekend we were…ugh. This is ridiculous, I'm not even drunk and I'm spilling my guts to you."

 

"That's what friends do Regina. Now what happened?" Katherine asked, hoping that Regina would realize that she could trust her. 

 

"I asked Emma to get me pregnant…It just spilled out and I realized in that moment how much I really did want it." 

 

"You deserve it Regina. I believe that and I'm sure Emma does too. Do you think it worked?" 

 

"I have no idea. I guess we'll find out in a few weeks." Regina laughed, if she was honest with herself she would admit that something was definitely going on in their household but that was something she wasn't ready to give too much thought to yet.

 

The sound of the patio door sliding open broke the silence that had fallen on the pair. 

 

"No wine? Something I need to know ladies?" Emma asked as she took a seat in one of the empty chairs. 

 

"Actually yes. I'm pregnant!" Katherine said, hoping to give Regina another minute to recover. 

 

"That's fantastic! That means you and Regina can be baby bump buddies when I get her pregnant…oh I mean…uh…are we telling people?" Emma shot at Regina hoping she wasn't spilling state secrets. 

 

"We're telling Katherine, but not all people. Okay? And just keep in mind that it very well could be you as her baby bump buddy." Regina laughed at the panicked look on her wife's face. 

 

"Okay got it. Well tell Frederick congrats too."

 

"I'll do that. I had better get going, I'm only about 8 weeks along and I already have to take daily naps." Katherine said as she got up from the couch. "I'll see myself out. You two just stay out here and relax." She waved goodbye one last time before slipping inside. 

 

"You okay?" Emma asked once Katherine had disappeared. 

 

"Yes. I started crying when she told me." Regina said grumpily. 

 

"I think that's normal. You two are close and we're trying too. I don't think it's a bad thing." Emma shrugged her shoulders like it was no big deal. 

 

"You're right. What did Ruby want?" Regina asked, deftly changing the subject as she patted the seat next to her so Emma would move closer. 

 

"Ugh, you were right. She was on a mission from Snow to find out how last weekend went…"

 

"Your mother…"

 

"I know, I know. That wasn't really the weirdest part though. I think Ruby was trying to smell me. She kept leaning close and then she hugged me before I left. That's weird right?" Emma asked, her voice full of confusion. 

 

"She sniffed you?"

 

"Yep."

 

"I wouldn't worry about it dear. She's a werewolf and it's almost a full moon, it's bound to make her a little different." Regina said, with an air of finality. 

 

"Okay, I won't. I mean it was just really weird though…" Emma said again, still trying to puzzle out what had happened. 

 

"If it makes you feel better dear I'll go by the diner in the morning and see how she's doing. You're probably reading too much into it." Regina's tone was anything but reassuring, but Emma decided that she'd just drop it for now. Whatever had put her wife on edge was going to be sorted out one way or another and she would be privy to the details when Regina saw fit. 

 

"Yeah okay, that'd be good. I feel like I'm losing my mind a little lately. Let's go cook dinner." Emma stood and reached her hand out to Regina and led her back inside.


	6. Chapter 6

"Miss Lucas, a word." Regina said as she marched into the diner the next morning. She continued her path towards the back room, not even sparing a glance behind her to ensure she was being followed. 

 

Ruby rolled her eyes once Regina was past her and followed her into the back. "Something I can help you with Madam Mayor?" 

 

"What did you smell?" Regina asked, not taking any time for pleasantries. 

 

Ruby groaned at her own stupidity, of course Regina would know what she had been doing. She shut her eyes for a moment, her brain scrambling for a way out of this mess. She vowed then and there to never help Snow with another thing ever again. "What do you mean?" Ruby asked sheepishly, opting to try and play stupid.

 

Regina closed the gap between them quickly, coming within inches of Ruby's face. "What exactly did you smell on my wife yesterday?" 

 

Sometimes Ruby cursed her werewolf tendencies and the moment Regina stepped into her personal space and she automatically sniffed, she knew she was going to regret it. 

 

"Ruby!" Regina growled out through clenched teeth. "Did you just sniff _me_?" 

 

"Maybe." Ruby waited a beat to see what exactly the Mayor was going to do before she said anymore. 

 

"Well?" Regina asked, the aggression melting away instantly. 

 

"I don't know! I don't know, okay?" Ruby said, frustrated at her nose. "You smell funny. Something I've never smelled before." 

 

"Funny?" Regina asked, needing a little more clarification. 

 

"Yes, funny. But I think you already know that don't you Regina? Otherwise you wouldn't be busting in here demanding answers." Ruby shot back.

 

"Fine. Yes, I think something is going on but it's to early to tell anything. We only tried a week ago. I was hoping that maybe you would be able to provide some answers. I'm not known for my patience." Regina smirked at Ruby, hoping to add some levity to the situation. She knew she shouldn't have come bursting in here like she did this morning, but she'd stewed about it all night and getting an answer was all she could think about. 

 

"You don't say." Ruby rolled her eyes and leaned up against the wall casually, the intensity of the moment behind them. 

 

"Shut up." Regina mimicked Ruby pose and took a moment to gather herself. "So you can't tell?" She asked again, still hoping to quell some of the anxiousness gripping her insides. 

 

"No, I can't. Not that I would tell you anyway. You two need to find out together." 

 

"Oh, but you're willing to tell the loving Grandma first?" 

 

"Hindsight and all that. Besides, Snow has a way of making you crazy if she doesn't get her way." Ruby said, laughing.

 

"You don't say?" Regina said, sarcasm dripping from her tone, as she straightened herself up from the wall. "If you're committed to not telling us then I want to take this opportunity to tell you to quit sniffing around my wife. I mean that literally. She doesn't know that werwolves have this particular skill so when she came home last night I simply told her you were more than likely acting a bit off because of the approaching full moon. Do I make myself clear?"  

 

Ruby nodded her head in agreement and Regina gave one last parting smile to Ruby before she started making her way out of the back room.

 

"I'm happy for you guys, Regina. I mean that." Ruby called after her. Regina didn't turn back around, she just waved her hand in acknowledgement and continued on her way. 

 

Ruby shook her head as she watched Regina walk out of the diner as if nothing was out of the ordinary. She wondered how easily she was going to be able to keep up that facade once the truth came out, because Ruby had a feeling it was going to happen sooner than any of them thought. 

 

SQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQ

 

Emma grabbed at her office phone when it rang, gladly pushing aside the paperwork she was trying to trudge through. "Sheriff's office…"

 

"I'm late." Regina cut her off before she could even finish her greeting. 

 

"Late where?" Emma asked, confused about why Regina was calling her if she was late somewhere. When she could practically hear her wife's teeth grinding through the phone though, she decided it was apparently not the right thing to say. 

 

"Late. As in my period. I'm late." 

 

"Oh. OOHH! Oh shit!" Emma stood up and started for the door, realizing too late that she was on her office phone. It clattered to the ground, knocking her abandoned paperwork to the floor with it. Luckily it didn't disconnect the call. 

 

"What the hell are you doing?" Regina screeched. 

 

"I tried to leave. Sorry. Ok, so you're late. We just tried a couple of weeks ago. Isn't it a little early?" Emma asked, a little panicked. 

 

"I don't know. It's not like I've done this before. I checked my calendar this morning and I should have started several days ago." 

 

"You put that on your calendar?" 

 

"Well of course. We're trying to have a baby remember? That's kind of an important piece. You should be tracking your's too." 

 

"So weird. Ok, so what do we do? Go to the doctor?" 

 

"I believe they sell something at the drug store for this sort of situation?" Regina ground out.

 

"Right. Of course, gimme 10 minutes. I'll run over there and bring it to you. You need anything else?" 

 

"Yes dear, why don't you pick up some diapers while you're there? OF COURSE NOT! GET OVER HERE." 

 

Click.

 

Emma stood in her wrecked office staring at the phone, the dial tone oddly soothing at the moment. Shaking herself out of the trance she hung up the phone on the floor, grabbed her keys, and headed out the door. 

 

SQSQSQSQSQSQSQ

 

"Why are there so many of these? How the hell am I supposed to pick the right one?" Emma grumbled to herself. There were early test ones, ones that came with a cup, electronic ones--way too many choices.

 

"Can I help you Emma?" Sneezy asked from the counter. The Sheriff had looked a little dazed when she walked in and she had spent an inordinate amount of time just staring at the shelf of various testing items he carried.

 

"Uh, no I got it. Thanks though." Emma answered, grabbing the first one she could get her hands on and proceeding to throw numerous other items she didn't need into the basket, hoping to disguise the fact she was buying a pregnancy test. 

 

When she made it up to the counter she tossed in a few candy bars for good measure. Sneezy dutifully starting ringing the items up and she tried to look like she was really into the magazine covers next to the register so that she didn't have to make eye contact with him while he rang the test up. After what seemed like an eternity Sneezy finally finished his task. 

 

"That will be $57.52 Sheriff." Sneezy said politely. 

 

"What? Jesus, are they made of gold?" She grumbled to herself again as she dug around for another twenty in her wallet. "Here. Keep the change." She grabbed her bags and made a quick exit before he could say anything else to her. 

 

When she pulled up in front of Regina's office she realized she couldn't just waltz in there with a pregnancy test box so she scanned the directions quickly on the back, tore the box open, and just shoved one of the testing sticks in her jacket pocket before heading inside. 

 

She knocked lightly on Regina's door before going in and she found the brunette pacing back and forth in front of her desk. 

 

"It took you long enough." Regina stalked towards the blonde with her hand out. "Where is it?" 

 

"Geez, I rushed over here. Have a little patience." She pulled the stick out of her jacket and handed it over. "There's no reason to be nervous. We wanted this remember?"

 

"I'm not pacing because I'm nervous, I'm pacing because I have to pee. Where are the instructions?" Regina snapped. 

 

"In the car, I didn't want to bring the whole box in in case someone saw me. Just pee on the end and wait. It's pretty simple." 

 

Regina started towards the bathroom before turning back around to face her wife. "I'm a little nervous."

 

Emma walked over and pulled Regina into a hug and kissed her hair. "I am too, but a good nervous."

 

Regina pulled out of the embrace and made the last few steps into the bathroom. "I'll just be a minute. Then I guess we just stare at it?" 

 

"Yep. That's pretty much how it goes. It's electronic so it'll just say pregnant or not pregnant." Emma answered with a smile. When she heard the lock click on the bathroom door, she began her own pacing around the room wondering if they really were going to be lucky enough to have gotten pregnant on their first try. Moments later she heard the door open again and Regina called out softly to her, "You can come in now." 

 

The stick was sitting on the edge of the sink and Emma stepped beside Regina, both of them staring down at it. Emma took Regina's hand in hers and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "I'll set my timer on my phone for three minutes and then we'll look?" Emma said finally to break the silence. Regina only nodded her head in agreement and Emma pulled her phone out setting it on the other side of the sink. They stood there staring at the timer, neither willing to chance a glance at the stick, until it counted down to zero. They both still jumped a little when the buzzer sounded and after a deep breath Regina picked up the stick for a closer look. 

 

"Oh."

 

"Oh what? Oh we're pregnant? Or Oh we're not?"

 

"O. As in it says O. What the hell does that mean?" Regain shoved the stick in Emma's face, showing her the readout did in fact just say O. 

 

"I have no idea."

 

"You have no idea!? You said you looked at the instructions!" Regina began her pacing again, stick still in hand. 

 

"Let me just run down and grab them. I'll be right back." Emma started for the door. 

 

"No, don't leave. Can't you just google it or something. I…I don't want you to leave." Regina looked at her with pleading eyes and Emma just nodded her head in agreement. 

 

"Come here, let's sit down." Emma pulled Regina's free hand towards the couch, both of them falling onto it. Emma pulled her phone out and quickly typed 'What does O mean on a pregnancy test?' into the search box. She scanned the answers that popped up, groaning at what she was reading. 

 

"What?"

 

"You're going to kill me."

 

"What. Is. It." Regina said through clenched teeth. 

 

"Um…it says that…oh man…um…I bought the wrong test. I must have accidentally grabbed an ovulation test instead of a pregnancy test." 

 

"So if it says O does that mean I'm ovulating and that I'm not pregnant? And I am going to kill you, just later after I get answers."

 

"I'm not sure. It says here that some women actually do this on accident and they go to the doctor and they are pregnant…Something about the test picking up trace amounts of HCG just like pregnancy tests do." Emma kept her eyes on the phone, afraid that if she looked up at her wife she might get incinerated instantly with the glare she could feel coming from her.

 

"So what do we do?" Regina asked, trying to breathe deeply and resist the urge to strangle her wife. 

 

"I'll just run back there and buy a new one. Don't worry it'll only take me a minute." Emma was already up off the couch and grabbing her keys before Regina could answer.

 

"Wait, just wait a minute." She stood and joined her by the door. "What if we waited? Just a few more days and then tried again. I don't think I can go through this again today and possibly end up disappointed." Regina's shoulders slumped at her confession and just took the last step towards Emma, closing the gap between them fully. When Emma's arms wrapped around her she sighed contently and soaked in the embrace. 

 

"We can do that. Are you sure you _can_ wait?" Emma pulled Regina back a little so she could look into her eyes when she answered. 

 

"I want to try. That way if I just start my period in the next few days we'll go on. I think that would be easier than taking the test and getting a negative." Regina answered.

 

"Okay, if that's what you want to do I understand. Sorry I bought the wrong one…" Emma smiled at her wife, hoping her puppy dog eyes would get her out of trouble. 

 

"You're still in trouble. I just needed a hug more than I needed to strangle you." Regina laughed and was glad that some of the heaviness of the moment was gone. "It's really okay Emma. It may even be for the best. A few days late doesn't necessarily mean anything. Speaking of that, when should you start?"

 

"I have no idea. Not really something I've kept track of…I guess we're usually around the same time?" Emma said, her mind clearly trying to remember when she'd had her last one. 

 

"So maybe we'll both take a test in a few days?" Regina said, laughing at the way Emma went a little pale at the suggestion. 

 

She smiled though and kissed Regina solidly. "At least I won't be alone in my jail cell this time…" 

 

"Very true dear." 

 


	7. Chapter 7

Emma splashed some water on her face in the bathroom and stared at herself in the mirror, taking a few deep breathes, trying to calm her stomach down. Once she figured she wasn't going to lose her breakfast she stalled a little longer hoping that the phone would ring and take David out of the station. She didn't really want to go back out and face him again after running out on him mid-sentence, knowing he'd take her sudden urge to vomit and run all the way home to Snow with it, the treacherous bastard. 

 

When she heard his footsteps approach the bathroom door, she straightened herself out and started for the door.

 

"Em? You okay?" He said, as the door swung open and nearly hit him in the face.

 

"Yep, I'm good." Emma replied, as she continued on towards her office. "I think I just ate too much for breakfast and it caught up with me." 

 

"Are you sure? I mean…Snow told me about…you know…and sometimes she would have to…you know….when she was..." David stuttered out. 

 

Emma turned towards the sputtering man, desperate for him to shut up. "David? This doesn't have to be a thing okay? Neither one of us is comfortable with that. Just drop it." 

 

David nodded his head in agreement and when Emma slipped into her office he took his phone out and texted his wife the latest news. 

 

Emma shut the door a little too hard to be considered polite and dropped herself into her office chair, propping her head up with her hands. She felt like crap. She blamed the fact that she'd finished up Henry and Regina's breakfast that morning, because there was no way it could possibly be morning sickness. Absolutely no way. Regina only realized yesterday that she was a little bit late so it was entirely too early for this to be starting. With Henry she'd been almost 5 weeks along before she couldn't keep anything down anymore. 

 

She was broke out of her reverie by the sound of her phone chiming, alerting her to a text from Regina.

 

**_911, come home now._ **

 

Panicked, Emma grabbed her gun and her keys and took off out the door, any thoughts of feeling sick flying out of her head. David's calls after her, unanswered. 

 

SQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQ

 

She pulled into the driveway, threw the car in park, and was out of her seat before it barely stopped. She circled the house once looking for signs of an intruder or property damage before she went in through the back door. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary on the first floor she called out to Regina as she headed up the stairs. When she didn't get an answer she drew her gun, not knowing what to expect when she reached the top. She called out again when she reached their bedroom door and she heard a faint voice call back, "In here." 

 

She followed the noise and with her gun raised she pushed open the bathroom door with her foot. Regina shrieked at the sight of the gun pointed at her and Emma stilled immediately. 

 

"What the hell are you doing?" Regina screamed.

 

"Uh, you used 911. We used to only say that if someone was lurking around your house…I thought someone broke in or something." Emma said, holstering her gun since there obviously wasn't an immediate threat to Regina's life in process. 

 

"Oh, I'd forgotten that was our code. You did used to barrel in here much the same way didn't you? Always the protector." Regina said, a little dreamily. 

 

"Yeah, are you ok? What's the emergency?" Emma asked. Regina was perched on the toilet seat, legs crossed, looking as prim and proper as ever under the circumstances. 

 

"Oh, yes. Well, there you go…" Regina said, her hand gesturing out towards the sink where seven pregnancy tests were lined up on the counter beside it. 

 

Emma's eyes went wide at the sight in front of her and she turned back to Regina, the question in her eyes clear. 

 

"All positive my dear, congratulations. You got me pregnant." Regina said, a smile stretching across her face. She watched as Emma's face burst into a look of pure joy, just before her eyes rolled up into her head and she slithered to the floor. Regina wasn't quick enough to catch her and she winced when Emma's head made a dull thud as it came into contact with the tile floor. "I should have seen that coming…" She said to herself before grabbing a washcloth out of the cupboard and running it under cold water. 

 

She kneeled down next to Emma and rolled the woman's upper half into her lap. She placed the cold compress on her forehead and waited, using her free hand to gently stroke Emma's hair away from her face. When Emma's eyes began to flutter, she stroked her cheek and pressed a soft kiss on her lips. As she pulled back she saw green eyes staring back at her. 

 

"We find ourselves in this position much too often my dear. Now that we're having a baby I would prefer you'd stop doing things like this." Regina said, the teasing tone taking the sting out of the words. 

 

"A baby…" Emma whispered softly. 

 

"Yes, a baby. Which the thought of caused you to pass out…" Regina said, her voice not masking the hint of insecurity in her tone. 

 

"Oh," Emma struggled to sit up before she continued, but Regina held her firmly in place. "I didn't pass out because we're having a baby, I passed out because I got a _girl_ pregnant. I mean seriously!" 

 

"I prefer the term woman, but you do have a point. This is an awfully extraordinary circumstance." 

 

"Understatement of the century." Emma said, her eyes closing again. 

 

"Emma?" Regina said, a little panicked. 

 

"Yeah, yeah. I'm still awake. Just feels good to have your hands in my hair." Emma mumbled. 

 

"Oh." Regina said simply, the sentiment making her smile. 

 

"So do you have any of those tests left? Or did you take all the ones available in Storybrooke?" Emma asked, her eyes open again and dancing with amusement. 

 

"There's one left I think. Why? Do you need a repeat performance? I'm sorry I couldn't wait."

 

"No, that's ok. How did you have enough pee for all these anyway?" Emma asked. She knew yesterday when they decided to wait that her wife wasn't going to be able to hold out a few more days before she got an answer so there wasn't anyway she could be upset about missing out on seeing the readout together. 

 

"No comment." 

 

Emma laughed, Regina never failed to say just the right thing to just make everything _better._ "Understood. I was wondering if there was an extra one laying around for me to take. I maybe got a little nauseous this morning at the station…" Emma watched Regina's face as the realization washed over it. 

 

"You don't think we could both be…" Regina trailed off, unwilling to even finish the thought. 

 

"I'd say no, but an hour ago I wasn't 100% convinced that I could get a girl, excuse me, a woman pregnant either. So…"

 

"Mmm. Do you think you can stand? You hit your head kind of hard." Regina said, as she shifted to help get Emma up off the floor. 

 

"Yeah, I'm okay. Not even dizzy!" 

 

Regina held onto her for an extra few moments to make sure that was indeed the case, before she let go. She shuffled through the assortment of boxes by the sink and found one remaining test and handed it to Emma. "Now, this is an actual pregnancy test…" She trailed off and laughed when Emma rolled her eyes.

 

"You're so funny. Just gimme it and let me do my business." Emma took it from Regina's outstretched hand and gave her a little pat on the ass as she turned to leave the room. "Thanks baby mama." 

 

"We aren't doing that." Regina said without turning back around. 

 

In no time at all Emma opened the bathroom door back up and made her way over to the bed where Regina was waiting. "All done, just have to wait now." 

 

Regina reached out and pulled Emma closer to her, moving her in between her legs and wrapping her arms around her waist. She rested her head on the taunt stomach in front of her and sighed deeply. "You alright?" 

 

"Yeah, I'm good…I'm going to be ecstatic once I get this test done and I know we're only having one baby…"

 

"Probably one baby…could be twins." Regina smiled up at Emma cheekily. 

 

"Oh hell…" Emma said, pulling Regina in closer to her and wrapping her arms around her tighter. "Thank you for being here with me…this is a lot less nerve wracking then when I was in jail doing it." 

 

Regina kissed the stomach she was still snuggled into. "Of course, dear. Sorry that I couldn't wait until you got here to take all of those tests. I didn't want to disappoint you if I couldn't…if it didn't work." 

 

"Hey," Emma tilted Regina's head up so she was looking into her eyes. "Don't worry about it. I understand, totally. And I'll get to experience the rest of this with you so if anything I just jazzed up the story we get to tell later with my gun. Just don't go to the first sonogram without me. That's probably something we should do together." She leaned down and kissed soft lips, moaning into the contact and lingering just a little longer. When the timer on Emma's phone went off they pulled apart and walked into the bathroom together. 

 

"Do you want me to do it?" Regina asked, when Emma stopped in front of the sink and didn't reach for it.

 

"Yeah, shit Regina. What if I am too?" Emma started to go a little pale at the thought and Regina stepped in front of her, grabbing ahold of her arms.

 

"If you are too we'll deal with it. Ok? Now I'm going to pick it up so you can quit freaking out…" Regina smiled and turned back around to the sink. She lifted up the stick and read the results out loud.

 

"Pregnant…"

 

"WHAT?"

 

"Just kidding. You Emma Swan-Mills are not pregnant. Congratulations. You will only have to worry about spoiling your wife for the next nine months." 

 

"That wasn't funny." Emma said, her breath evening out from almost hyperventilating. 

 

"Consider us even for the wedding fiasco." 

 

"I hate you."

 

"That is not something you say to your pregnant wife who is taking the rest of the day off to spend with you." Regina smirked and sauntered out of the bathroom. 

 

"I love you." Emma said, following obediently behind her. 

 

"That's more like it dear. I love you too." Regina said as she made her way downstairs to fix them some lunch. 

 

"Why do you think I felt so sick this morning then? Is the flu going around town?" 

 

"I have a guess as to why, but you're not going to like it…" Regina answered, watching her wife's reaction carefully.

 

Emma noticed the way Regina was watching her, waiting for her to realize something, and then it hit her. "Oh hell no. That's not fair! This is going to be one of those stupid magic always has a price things isn't it? I'm gonna have to suffer through all your symptoms while you just get to look all glowy and have people fawn all over you…" 

 

"I do believe that you've just hit the nail on the head as they say. If it helps, I am sorry." 

 

"No you're not." Emma huffed.

 

Regina crossed back over the kitchen and pulled Emma into her arms. "Not really no, but I doubt you're going to have all the symptoms. I will still have a ridiculous amount of hormones coursing through me so I'm bound to feel some of the effects." 

 

"I'm not sure if that makes me feel better or not…" Emma winced when she got the slap on the arm she deserved. "I'm just kidding. I am going to be there with you every step of the way and be the absolute best wife in the world to you. I mean that." 

 

Regina recognized the sincerity in Emma's eyes and she pulled her in closer. "I know you do and I know you will."


	8. Chapter 8

Regina eyed her phone conspicuously. It was remaining stubbornly silent. She decided to give up the charade of trying to get some actual work done and made her way over the couch in her office and sat. Dr. Whale was supposed to be calling her with the tests results from her visit that morning. They had decided that it would be good to have the pregnancy confirmed with a blood test, despite Emma's assurance that they were in fact "growing a baby." Regina laughed a little at their morning conversation when she'd asked the blonde how she could be so sure. Instead of answering Emma turned on her heel and swiftly made her way to the bathroom, losing her breakfast when she got there. Regina had been the good wife, holding her hair away from her face and rubbing her back until it subsided, but inside she was elated it wasn't her having to suffer through the morning sickness.

 

Regina still couldn't believe that after everything she'd gone through in her life she was being blessed with this chance. She had always known she was capable of having children, but she'd always taken "preventative measures" to make sure that it didn't happen. She would have rather died than produce an heir for King Leopold and with a simple spell Rumple taught her the night before the wedding she cursed his seed so that she would never be forced to. He blamed her, called her barren, but in the end it was worth it because the visits to her bedroom stopped quickly. With Graham she'd done the same thing and the curse carried his infertility over to Storybrook. There had been times she wished it to be different, but then Mr. Gold had placed Henry in her arms and the urge was gone. Until Emma. Until Now. She smiled, knowing that this was exactly the way it was meant to be.

 

There was a knock on her door and she jumped a little at the intrusion. She called for them to come in and she saw Henry poke his head in the door. 

 

"Hey Mom, you got a minute?" Henry asked.

 

"Of course, what's wrong?" She asked him. It was unlike him to seek her out at her office and for a brief moment she worried something had happened to Emma. She pushed that fear out of her mind, focusing on their connection, knowing she would feel something if that were the case. 

 

"Nothing." Henry said, as he sat on the couch next to her.

 

She raised an eyebrow at him in response. 

 

"Okay, well nothing's wrong, I just wanted to…" Henry fidgeted a little in his seat and turned fully towards his mother. "I've just been thinking about this baby thing." 

 

Regina stiffened. This was the other shoe to drop, Henry was going to rail against the idea and she was going to lose him all over again.

 

"Whoa! Mom, not like that. I mean I haven't been thinking about that, definitely not." He made a disgusted face and continued. "I just…"

 

Confused at his sudden outburst Regina interrupted him, "Henry?"

 

"Uh, you just went all pale and I thought you thought I was thinking about…you know how babies are made…I wasn't." Henry fell silent. This conversation was not going at all how he had planned. 

 

Regina took a deep breath and calmed herself. She was going to have to figure out how to reign in her fears and emotions during this process. "Okay," she finally started again. "What exactly is it that you…" She trailed off not knowing how to finish the sentence. 

 

"Can we just start over? I've been thinking about this baby thing and I know we haven't talked about it since you guys told me you were going to try and really, that's okay because I don't need to know about it or anything…I mean I _really_ don't need details…and I'm not sure how it all works but…anyway I just wanted to tell you that I hope it's you. I hope you get to have the baby." Henry finished talking and gulped in a breath of air. 

 

"Oh Henry…" Regina said, tears gathering in her eyes.

 

Henry looked frightened for a moment before gathering himself and pulling her into a hug. He patted her awkwardly on the back and she chuckled a little at the situation. There were times like this that he was so much like his other mother. She squeezed him a little harder and then pulled out of the embrace. 

 

"You alright?" Henry asked. 

 

Afraid that her voice would crack, Regina simply nodded her head and smiled brightly at him. 

 

"And don't worry about me thinking you don't love me as much or anything when the baby gets here. I'm going to be the best big brother ever and make sure that kid knows how great his parents are. I won't let him treat you like I used to…" Henry looked away from his mom, the guilt still residing in him from the years he'd treated her so poorly. They'd worked through it in Dr. Hopper's office, but sometimes it crept up on him. 

 

This time it was Regina that pulled Henry into an embrace and she soaked it in, knowing that times like this were rare now that Henry was barreling is way through his teenage years. She pulled his head back and held his face in her hands. "Don't. We've dealt with all that and it's in the past. As for when the baby gets here I have no doubt you'll be the best big brother." She paused, making sure he understood the weight of her words before continuing. "And thank you for knowing me so well. I don't want you to feel pushed aside by either Emma or I and I would have worried about it." 

 

He smiled and pulled back from her a little more, his need for comfort disappearing. "I know. I'm pretty smart."

 

"And humble." Regina shot back. 

 

Henry just smiled at her and got up to leave. "I'm going to go play basketball with Nic now. I just wanted you to know that stuff before…you know…whatever." He shrugged and made his way out the door. 

 

"I love you!" Regina shouted at his retreating back and she heard a distance "love you too" returned. 

 

She glanced at the clock. She wasn't going to survive much longer without answers, especially now that Henry had made his wishes known. Just as she was getting ready to leave and go pay Dr. Whale a visit her phone rang. 

 

With a shaky hand she answered. "Hello?"

 

"Hello Regina, this is Dr. Whale's office. We have your test results." The nurse on the other end of the phone said. "You are in fact pregnant. And from the looks of the HCG levels you're about 5 weeks along." 

 

"5 weeks?" Regina said, thinking she was too dazed to have heard correctly. 

 

"Yes, that's correct." 

 

"That's impossible." 

 

"It's all here in Dr. Whale's results…" 

 

Regina was counting back to the weeks in her head and with sudden clarity she cut off the nurse. "Well thank you." She hit end on her phone and furiously typed out a message to Emma requesting her presence immediately. 

 

SQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQ

 

Emma knocked lightly on the door before letting herself in. Peter was gone for the day and Regina had said immediately. "You summoned, m'lady?" Emma said with a bow. 

 

"I got the test results back, you were correct. We are definitely pregnant." Regina said, despite trying to keep her game face on a smile still threatened on her face at the words. 

 

"Told you!" 

 

"Very mature Miss Swan." 

 

"Hey, you only use that when I'm in trouble. How can I possibly be in trouble when we just found out the best news ever?" Emma walked towards her wife and bent to give her a kiss before settling in next to her. Regina allowed the contact, losing herself in it for a moment, before she remembered Emma needed a little more punishment. 

 

"How can you be in trouble? Let me see…" Regina tapped her chin, tilting her head up in thought. "Oh! Would you like to guess how far along I am?"

 

"Huh?" Emma said confused at the sudden change in topic. "I mean we're like 2 weeks. We just tried." 

 

"Try 5 weeks." Regina said, still trying desperately to mask the smile on her face.

 

"5? That doesn't make any….oh." Emma looked at her wife sheepishly. "Oops."

 

"Oops indeed. Now do you see why I insist on your magic lessons? And why being able to control it is a good thing?" Regina said, finally relenting and reaching out to Emma for some contact.

 

"Yep. It's been noted." Emma said, nodding her head in agreement. She'd accidentally done powerful enough magic to impregnate her wife and she didn't have a clue. Perhaps it was time to start taking those lessons a little more seriously. She put her arm around Regina and gently placed an arm protectively over her stomach. 

 

"Do you have any guesses as to which time this might have occurred?" Regina asked, wondering what could have prompted such a powerful thing without either one of them aware. 

 

I don't…we had a ton of sex on our honeymoon…I can't really….Oh." 

 

"There's that word again. What is it?" 

 

"There was that one time…the morning after the dolphin thing…I remember thinking…" Emma trailed off again, the nervousness evident in her eyes.

 

"Thinking what?" Regina said impatiently.

 

"Thinking that I couldn't wait to start trying to make babies with you…"

 

"Babies?! As in plural?" Her voice raising with every syllable.

 

"I'm dead aren't I? You're going to kill me…"

 

"Well I certainly can't now, can I? Not if you impregnated me with a litter!" Regina huffed. 

 

Emma gathered her in her arms, trying to calm the woman down and was startled when she felt her trembling. She pulled back a little and realized that Regina was laughing. Hysterically. Emma joined in with her, the absurdity of the situation too much to comprehend. 

 

Once Regina settled a little more she cradled Emma's face with her hands and looked her in the eye. "You, Emma Swan-Mills, are a walking disaster. I still sometimes can't believe that _you_ broke my curse. But damn it if you don't make things interesting. And damn it if I don't love you for it." 

 

Emma beamed at her, feeling every heartfelt emotion pouring off Regina. She knew they would handle whatever came their way and maybe that was the reason they fit so well together--Regina was her balance in life, the force that calmed the storm. 

 


	9. Chapter 9

Regina watched her wife from the door of the en suite. The laptop was balanced on her knees, her brow furrowed, glasses perched on her nose. It made her look younger, more studious, and Regina wondered if Emma had ever wanted to go to college. Seeing her like this made her heart clench with regret, as if she was looking at a what-if version of her spouse. She shook off the sense of melancholy and reminded herself that without all the events in the past she wouldn't have Henry or Emma. 

 

Emma glanced up from the computer screen when she felt the ache in her chest. Regina was somewhere in the past, her eyes unfocused and unseeing, her lips turned down at whatever she was experiencing. Emma continued to watch, letting her come back to herself on her own. The bouts of regret and pain were few and far between these days and Emma knew that it was best to let Regina come out of them on her own. She understood that no matter how many times she reminded Regina that they wouldn't have Henry or each other without the deeds of the Evil Queen, Regina would always carry regret with her. It was a peculiar balance that Regina had to maintain everyday between the light and the darkness, the regret and the satisfaction that stemmed from the curse. She watched as Regina shook her head, shaking off the thoughts pulling her down, and Emma smiled at her knowing no words were needed between them. 

 

Regina moved towards the bed, smiling back at the understanding she found in Emma's gaze. "What are you looking at? You look like Henry does when he's studying for a test."

 

"Pinterest. There's tons of stuff on here about having more than one baby. Look at this." Emma turned to screen towards Regina, showing her a picture built-in bunk beds for quadruplets. "I could do that." 

 

Regina's eyes went wide at the implication. "Don't you think that's a little over the top? Prepping for 4?"

 

"No, I figure if I get my head wrapped around four babies and then less pops out we're golden." Emma said, turning back to the screen and continuing her search. 

 

"Pops out?" She shook her head at her wife's wording. "You do realize that in just a few weeks we'll be able to get a sonogram and find out for sure if there is going to be more than one? I think that will still leave you sufficient time to prepare." Regina wasn't sure what worried her more, the fact that Emma was even thinking about quad's or the fact that she wasn't. Typically she would have been the one studying and planning and worrying. Somewhere along the line it seemed that they had switched rolls. 

 

Emma glanced back up, "I…"

 

Regina took pity on her wife and slid the laptop out of her hands, shutting it down and placing it on the floor. "You're freaking out, as you would say."

 

"Yeah, I'm freaking out. What if my wonky magic did really put a litter in there?" Emma said, pointing at Regina's stomach. 

 

Regina reached out and pulled Emma's hand to her stomach, holding it there with her own. "You're magic's not wonky. You just have to learn how to control it. It's actually amazing that you could feel so powerfully about having babies with me that you made it happen. If there are 4 we'll deal with it." 

 

Emma continued to stare down at their joined hands. "How come you're not freaking out about this?" She whispered, looking up into brown eyes. 

 

"I have no idea, but let's not look a gift horse in the mouth. There's nothing we can do about it now anyway, we just have to wait and see." 

 

"Okay." Emma said simply, accepting her reassurance without a second thought. She leaned over and placed a kiss on Regina's stomach. "Night guys." When she looked back up she saw the brief smile on Regina's face before it disappeared and she was on the receiving end of a very unamused glare. "What?"

 

"It could be girls." 

 

Emma smiled and turned to switch her lamp off. She pulled Regina down, wrapping her arms around her middle and snuggling into her back. "You're right. Night everybody." She kissed Regina's shoulder and as she drifted off to sleep she felt her chest warming, a feeling of contentment washing over her.

 

 

SQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQ

 

The next morning when Emma woke up she found the spot next to her empty and a pile of saltine crackers on her nightstand. She smiled, knowing who had left them and she started munching away as she read the note accompanying them. 

 

_Emma,_

 

_I had to go into work early this morning to make up for yesterday. Eat these, they should help with your nausea, just don't get any crumbs in the bed. Henry had early morning football practice today so I'm dropping him off on the way. I'll see you for lunch._

 

_Love,_

 

_Regina_

 

_PS--Do you remember the time that you got crumbs in the bed and I made you sleep on the couch? Think twice before you continue munching so enthusiastically._

 

Emma rolled her eyes at the post script and smiled to herself. She knew Regina was just as wrapped around her finger as she was hers, well maybe not _quite_ as much, but she knew that Regina's threats were her way of teasing the blonde these days more than anything. She smiled at the note one last time and placed it in her drawer along with a few other trinkets and things from Regina she'd kept along the way. Her wife wasn't exactly the overly romantic type and her drawer wasn't going to overflow with love notes anytime soon, but she knew without a doubt that Regina loved her fully and completely and she felt it each and everyday. 

 

Once she was sure the crackers had settled her stomach enough to get up, she rolled off the bed and started her morning routine. If everyone else in the house was getting an early start she might as well join them. 

 

SQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQ

 

When Emma walked into the station, coffee in one hand and her bear claw in the other, she was surprised to see the lights already on. She called out to see if anyone was there and when she didn't get an answer she continued on to her office, assuming that David had just forgot to turn everything off last night. When she heard the familiar clacking of heels on linoleum she turned, surprised to see her wife coming from down the hallway. 

 

"Uh…" Emma said, not quite trusting her eyes yet.

 

"You're not supposed to be here yet." Regina replied matter-of-factly.

 

"You're not supposed to be here at all. What are you doing?" Emma asked, gesturing to the items in her arms. 

 

Regina sighed, like somehow Emma was asking the world of her and she rolled her eyes slightly. "Fine. You caught me. I was cleaning the toilet."

 

"What?" 

 

"You see if you don't clean a toilet on a regular basis, they can become….quite _unsanitary_. I was simply preventing that from happening." Regina wrinkled her nose, her lips pursed together. 

 

Emma still wasn't sure what was going on but she was starting to feel the familiar swirling in her stomach and she made her way to the couch to sit before she asked anymore questions. Regina followed and sat next to her, her hand reaching out to rub small, comforting circles on her back. 

 

"Are you all right?" Regina asked, her tone softening considerably. 

 

"Yeah, for right now. So just so we're clear, you left the house early this morning so that you could clean the toilet here at the station?" Emma asked, clarifying what she still didn't understand.

 

"Yes." Regina said simply. She didn't elaborate, but the color tinging her cheeks told Emma more than words could have. 

 

"You were cleaning the toilet for me, huh?" Emma smiled widely at Regina, the pieces falling together for her. "The big bad Mayor was scrubbing a toilet for me?" 

 

Regina narrowed her eyes at the blonde. "There's no need to gloat. It's not really that big of a deal. Who do you think does it at home? Bathroom fairies?" 

 

"Yeah, yeah. I can't believe you did that for me…"

 

"Well, dear, I know that you're going to have your head hanging over that thing a considerable amount in the coming weeks…and well…" Regina shrugged and turned her head away, not willing to show her embarrassment at being caught. 

 

"This might be one of the sweetest things you've ever done for me." Emma said, sliding closer her wife. 

 

"Please." Regina scoffed, still unwilling to turn her head towards her. 

 

"No, I'm not making fun of you. I mean it…you take really good care of me and no one's ever done that before. Thank you." She turned Regina's face towards her and placed a soft kiss on her lips. "Thank you." Emma hoped that her eyes conveyed the things that she couldn't say, her thoughts floating to the times she was sick and there was no one there to comfort her when she was pregnant with Henry. 

 

"You're welcome." Regina said simply, her chest warming with Emma's emotion. "As soon as we tell your parents I'm going to be having a little chat with your father about his bathroom habits and I'll be adding a woman's only. I just don't want to tip our hand too early." 

 

Emma smiled at her wife, knowing that she was much more comfortable with planning and plotting than she was at reveling in emotion. "You really are the best. I love you." Emma gave her another quick peck on the cheek and stood, reaching her hand out to help Regina stand. "Let me walk you to your office. I can bring you the Mercedes at lunch."

 

"You don't drive my car." 

 

"Oh, does that mean when your water breaks you're going to let me drive you to the hospital in the bug?" Emma replied, a smile playing at her lips.

 

"Absolutely not." 

 

"Then I better get some practice in…" Emma tugged her towards the doors, enjoying the new fizzy, bubbly feeling their connection had. 

 

SQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQ

 

The second their eyes met when David pulled open the door Emma knew she should have canceled her standing dinner night at her parents. She couldn't do this. It was bad enough David had witnessed her getting sick a few days prior at the station, but now she knew he'd ratted her out. 

 

"I'm going to kill you." Emma said, not stepping inside just yet. 

 

"I'm sorry?" David replied, the look on his face telling her he knew exactly what she was referring to. 

 

"No you're not. Not one bit are you?" Emma pushed past him into the house, wanting to end the standoff and get the evening over with. 

 

"Not really." He didn't elaborate anymore, but the spring in his step made Emma wary of going into the kitchen. She veered off, heading to the living room in search of the tv remote but her mother's voice stopped her. 

 

"Emma? Dinner's almost ready. Can you help set the table?" Snow asked, her eyes following Emma's every movement. 

 

"Sure…" 

 

"So David said you've been feeling a little under the weather. Anything you'd like to tell me?" Snow was smiling widely, her doe eyes blinking innocently, waiting for the answer.

 

Emma took the chance to shoot one more glare towards David before answering. "Yeah, don't let Granny trick you into day old donuts. Something's not right with them." 

 

A look of confusion flashed across Snow's face, before she probed again. "So nothing you need to tell us tonight?" 

 

"Nope. Can I have a beer?" Emma went for the jugular. She'd told Snow that when there was something to tell she would, if she was going to make her own assumptions about the situation she was going to make her pay for it. 

 

"Do you think that's really a good idea?" 

 

"Why not? Regina's not going to mind if I have a beer or two. She's probably already curled up in her study with some of her wicked strong cider." Emma said, deliberately playing dumb. 

 

"Oh, well I guess I just thought under the circumstances…" Snow trailed off, the disappointment evident on her face. 

 

"What circumstances?" 

 

"Nothing, never mind." Snow said, turning to head back into the kitchen. 

 

Emma smirked at the frustration evident in Snow's posture and followed her. "Snow--What did you think?" She asked, clearly knowing what Snow was hinting at but wanting her to say it out loud.

 

Snow stared her daughter down for a few moments, arms crossed over her chest defiantly. "I thought you were going to tell us you were pregnant. Is that what you want me to say?"

 

"Yep. And guess what? I'm not and I am only going to say this once so listen carefully. When and _if_ there is something to tell, both Regina and I will let you know. Until then, the subject is closed. There will be no more roping Ruby in with your little plots, no more having David spy on me and under absolutely no circumstances do you bring this up to Regina. Am I clear?" 

 

"Yes." Snow whispered, the embarrassment of being called out by her own daughter showing on her face. 

 

"And if and when there is something to tell you, keep in mind that it will be _both_ me and Regina's secret to tell. You understand that means she might not want to tell you for awhile? So even if you suspect something you will not say a word to her." 

 

Emma watched her mother for a few beats, waiting to see if she was going to plead her case and when Emma was confident she'd gotten through to her she nodded her head once, ending the conversation for good. "Now, what's for dinner?" 

 

"Grilled chicken with mango salsa…" Snow said sheepishly. 

 

"Mangos?! Seriously? I am amazed that growing up with Regina you didn't learn to be just a little bit more subtle. I mean she's like the Queen of Stealth." Emma said with a shake of her head.

 

Snow laughed. "Sometimes…"

 

"Yeah, you got me there." Emma said, smilingly back at her. She hoped that she'd bought them at least a few weeks of peace before they had to make the announcement. There was a big part of her that was worried about her mother's reaction, despite her earlier words about loving her grandbaby either way, she couldn't help but think there wasn't going to be some disappointment to deal with. 

 


	10. Chapter 10

"Okay Regina, this gel is going to feel cold." Dr. Whale said, as he squeezed the sonogram gel onto her stomach. "Are you two ready for this?" 

 

"Yes."

 

"Nope." 

 

Emma looked over at Regina with a smirk and shrugged her shoulders a little. "He asked." She leaned over closer and kissed the top of her wife's head while Dr. Whale set up the rest of the equipment. They weren't usually very affectionate in public, but if the death grip Regina currently had on her hand was anything to go by she thought she could get away with it. 

 

"Are we going to be able to tell if there's more than one baby in there?" Emma asked, pointing towards Regina's stomach. 

 

"Yes, I'll be able to see today if there's more than one, but I think it's highly unlikely." 

 

"Yeah, well it was "highly unlikely" that I got her pregnant in the first place Doc." Emma's smile faded quickly when she caught the scowl on Regina's face. "Can you just hurry up?" She finished weakly. 

 

The doctor just nodded his head in affirmation and flipped the last switches on the monitor. "What I'll do first is try and bring the image up on the screen and then I'll turn the sound on so you can hear the heartbeat. It's not going to look like much today but…"

 

"We got it doc, tiny baby--hard to see. Let's go." Emma said impatiently. Regina hadn't said more than a sentence since they had woken up that morning and she knew the sooner they could see their baby and hear their baby the better. 

 

"You should see the image on the monitor soon if this little one cooperates." He maneuvered the probe over Regina's stomach trying to get the clearest picture possible. "I'm having a hard time getting the image to come up…oh wait there it is." He reached over and clicked a few things on the machine, his face scowling a little at the image. 

 

"Is something wrong?" Regina asked, panicked that something had already gone amiss. 

 

"No, no nothing is wrong." Dr. Whale assured her, his eyes never leaving the screen. "I'm just going to turn on the sound and let you hear for yourselves." 

 

Emma squinted at the image floating on the monitor and she tried to think back to Henry's sonograms. She didn't think they looked quite like this, but it had been 15 almost 16, years ago so maybe it was just the technology. 

 

The room suddenly filled with a steady thump-thump, echoing in the sterile room. Wide eyes found Regina's and both woman teared up a little at the sound. They continued to stare at each other as Dr. Whale fiddled with the monitor a little more. "If you look up here," Dr. Whale pointed to the bottom of the screen, "you'll see one heartbeat..." 

 

"Oh thank God…" Emma muttered under her breath.

 

"And here is a second heartbeat…" He chanced a look at both woman after his announcement and saw that Emma's eyes had gone wide and froze towards the screen. Regina went instantly pale and looked as though she was about ready to bolt from the room. 

 

The increasing pressure on her hand pulled her out of her stupor and she looked down at Regina, the smile stretching across her face. Regina didn't return her gaze though, her eyes were screwed shut and her face turned away from the monitor. Realizing this was something Whale did not need to witness she asked him to step out for a minute. 

 

"Of course. They're both healthy if that helps anything…" He trailed off as he shut down everything before sliding out the door quietly. 

 

"Regina, honey, look at me." Emma said, her hand running across Regina's forehead and down her cheek, turning her head back towards her. "What's wrong?"

 

Regina looked at Emma, studying her for a moment. She was so beautiful, her blonde hair and figure still turning heads, but when she looked at Emma all she really saw were her eyes. Blue, green, depending on the light--they were always filled with love and affection and they always told her everything she needed to know. Now was no different, Emma was happy, scared, in awe, and worried. "The heartbeats…I've never heard it like this…Hearing a heartbeat always meant control or death or pain…I don't think I deserve this…" Regina was openly sobbing and Emma clamored up on the table to gather the woman in her arms as best she could on the small surface. Regina's body curled into hers and she continued to cry into her chest. 

 

Emma buried her face in Regina's hair and started talking softly. "I want you to listen to me very closely Regina Swan-Mills. You _do_ deserve this. You deserve this because you fought and clawed your way out of a very dark place and my life is better because of that, Henry's life is better because of that and now _our_ life is going to be better because of it. I don't ever want to hear you say that again. We can talk about you being scared, you can have doubts but please don't ever say those words again…"

 

She felt Regina's head nod in her arms and she waited silently for her to gather herself. 

 

Regina finally pulled back slightly and looked up into Emma's eyes again. "We made _two_ babies…" A smile forming on her face. 

 

"Two healthy babies." Emma kissed her softly, lingering only slightly, before pulling back. "Are you okay?"

 

Two perfectly shaped eyebrows rose, but before she could answer Emma continued. "Maybe not the best question to ask right now huh? I mean you just found out we're having twins so I'm guessing that okay isn't on your radar. Are you still happy about this?" 

 

Brown eyes softened and Regina used both her hands on Emma's cheeks to pull her in for a kiss. "I'm ecstatic."

 

"Good."

 

SQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQ

 

Once Regina had collected herself and they allowed Dr. Whale back in the appointment finished up fairly quickly. Regina had a print out of the sonogram picture clutched in her hand and she was studying her wife intently. She knew that Emma's calm demeanor in the exam room was only going to last so long. She was grateful that the blonde always seemed to hold it together when she was freaking out, but _her_ freakout was inevitable. The car had been silent for several minutes before Emma finally broke the silence. 

 

"So I think we need to tell Henry, sooner rather than later." She said, glancing over to her passenger. 

 

"I agree. I'm not sure we've been hiding our secret all that well anyway these last few weeks."

 

"Yeah? You agree? Good." Emma continued to nod her head, as though agreeing with herself, and her fingers began tapping the steering wheel nervously. 

 

"Well of course I agree. He should definitely be the first person we tell." Regina narrowed her eyes at her wife. She appeared to be listening to her, but it didn't seem like she was computing anything but her own thoughts. Thankfully they pulled in the driveway before Emma's odd behavior could continue. 

 

When Emma came around the car to help Regina out though, she slapped her hands away. All thoughts of trying to be sensitive towards her impending meltdown fleeing. "What are you doing? I'm eight weeks along, not 38." 

 

Palms up, Emma backed up slowly, but continued to hover until Regina successfully extricated herself and shut the car door. They walked up the sidewalk together and Emma unlocked the front door. She strode into the house ahead of Regina and when she reached the bottom of the stairs she yelled, "Henry get down here!"

 

Regina froze at the bottom of the entry way steps, stunned at Emma's sudden change in behavior. Henry came stomping out of his room and started down the stairs, the same surprised look on his face. 

 

"Listen kid, your mom is pregnant and it's twins. We have a lot to do." Emma said, before he had even made it to the bottom. His eyes went comically wide and he only momentarily glanced towards Regina. 

 

"How far along? I mean how much time do we have? We have to get cribs and put them together and paint…."

 

"Excuse me." Regina said, trying to get their attention.

 

"…and baby proof and get changing tables. Do we need two of those too?" 

 

"Oh man! I don't know? How are we going to figure that out?" Emma asked him, the panic evident on her face. 

 

"I don't know. Google?"

 

Emma shrugged as if considering the answer before continuing. "We're going to need baby bottles and clothes and…do you know how to change a diaper?" 

 

Henry shook his head no. 

 

"Then we need to learn how to do that too. We can probably google that or something also…"

 

Henry reached the bottom of the stairs and started to open his mouth again when Regina yelled, "EXCUSE ME!!"

 

Both sets of eyes turned towards her slowly and she used the stunned silence to finish her trek up the entry steps. She walked over to the pair and stopped in front of them, arms crossed, a less then pleased look on her face. 

 

"Um, that probably wasn't how you wanted to tell him, huh?" Emma said sheepishly. Regina's booming voice had knocked some sense back into her and the twin-induced fog seemed to lift briefly. 

 

"It wasn't in my top ten." She said dryly. Turning towards Henry she softened, "Henry?" 

 

He threw himself into her arms, "Congratulations Mom!" He said, hugging her tightly. He pulled back, grinning widely. "Now seriously, we've got a ton of work to do. You need to go sit down or something. Emma and I got this." 

 

Regina crossed her arms again, sighing loudly. "I will not just be sitting down the entire rest of my pregnancy. You two do understand that, correct?" 

 

Two sets of owl eyes blinked back at her and she sighed again. "I am pregnant, not dead or lame or anything else that would prevent me from helping with some of the tasks you two are already planning. Like, for example, picking out cribs."

 

Henry and Emma both started nodding their heads enthusiastically and she suddenly realized that this was how the next 7 months of her life was going to go. The two of them doting on her to the point of ridiculousness. She wouldn't trade it for anything in the world, but that didn't mean she wasn't backing down without a fight. 

 

"Mom, why don't you go start looking at cribs online…" Henry said, his eyes shifting towards Emma briefly. 

 

"Smart one kid." Emma said, slapping him on the back. 

 

Regina only rolled her eyes at them. "Fine. But I will be standing up looking at the computer just to spite you two." She leaned in and gave both of them a kiss on the cheek before heading towards her office. "And please don't go overboard on anything yet." 

 

Emma and Henry just smiled brightly at her before Emma grabbed him in a headlock and started towards the kitchen with him. Regina thought she heard her saying something about finding a baby to borrow so they could start the baby proofing but she wasn't sure and she probably didn't really want to know.

 

 


	11. Chapter 11

**_Call me if when you get a chance._ **

 

Emma laughed at the text she had just received from Regina and wondered what ridiculous craving she was having now. They were meeting for lunch in just under an hour so she knew she was going to be required to bring something additional when she went. Over the past few weeks Regina had been getting more and more "opinionated", as she called it, about what she ate. Thankfully, it was the only symptom she'd shown so far and they'd been able to keep things quiet. Emma's morning sickness was dying down as well so there weren't as many curious looks from David. They agreed that once the babies reached the 12 week mark they would start telling people and that day was here.

 

Emma picked up the phone and called Regina's cell.

 

"Hello?" Regina answered on the first ring. 

 

"Hi." Emma wasn't about to ask what Regina needed. She was going to make her work for. 

 

"I need you to do me a favor…" Regina said hesitantly. 

 

"So you're have a craving?" Emma was glad that they weren't having this conversation face to face because she wasn't able to keep the smirk off her face. 

 

"I didn't say that. And I told you I don't like the word craving. It sounds as if I don't have any control over it."

 

"Ok, sorry. So you have an _opinion_ about something you'd like for lunch?" 

 

"I was just thinking that some salted sliced cucumbers would be nice with our salads." 

 

"So you want me to bring you some pickles?" Emma couldn't contain the laughter in her voice at Regina's attempt to disguise her craving as something completely normal. 

 

"No, I didn't say pickles. I said I wanted some freshly sliced cucumbers with a dash of salt."

 

"It's totally a pickle, but if you're not ready to admit that even you are going to be susceptible to pregnancy cravings I'll go with whatever you say. I'm kinda surprised you haven't wanted mangos…but I guess it's better you don't have to share that trait with Snow, huh?" Emma said, she loved giving her wife a hard time but she also knew when not to push her luck. 

 

Regina stared down at the mango she'd just peeled and she felt momentarily guilty for hiding that particular facet of her pregnancy from her wife. She had been eating them a lot, like 2 or 3 a day a lot, but there was no way she was going to let Snow get wind of that. If it meant hiding it from her wife than so be it. "Yes, that would be unfortunate." 

 

"So you want some sliced cucumbers with salt. Anything else you have an opinion about?" Emma asked, not bothering to mask the humor in her tone. 

 

"No, that will be all. Thank you. I'll see you soon." Regina said stiffly.

 

"Regina, I love you. I'll quit giving you a hard time about this if you'd just call them cravings…." 

 

"Never. I love you too." Regina ended the call before Emma could get in another word. 

 

Emma just shook her head as she laid her phone down. Lunch was going to be an adventure if this was the kind of mood she was in already. Asking Regina if they could tell Snow and Charming that evening was going to be difficult enough with out the added hormones. Emma decided she better take something else with her as a back up plan, to sooth the beast should she need it. 

 

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Emma just nodded her head as a greeting as she passed by Peter's desk. He was on the phone and by the looks of the angry gesturing going on she didn't want to interrupt. Her hands were full so she used the toe of her boot to knock on Regina's office door. She jumped a little when it swung open almost immediately. 

 

"Eager much?" Emma said as she squeezed past Regina through the doorway. 

 

"You should be happy that I was eager to see you Sheriff." Regina shot back, following Emma towards the conference table. 

 

"I would be if I thought it had anything to do with me…" Emma set down the two sacks and the drink tray she'd carried in with her and leaned over towards Regina's belly. "Hi kids!" She placed a kiss on the barely visible bump and then straightened herself up to give Regina the same greeting. 

 

Regina just smiled and started unpacking the bags. Before she could open everything Emma snatched one of the containers away from her and set it off to the side. "What's that one?" Regina asked testily.

 

"Leverage. Let's eat before your cucumbers turn into pickles. I brought a few extra salt packets in case you need some more on them." Emma pulled a chair out for Regina before seating herself. 

 

Regina narrowed her eyes at the extra white styrofoam container now just an arm's length away and turned her gaze towards Emma. Emma was happily munching away on the chicken caesar salad, a sight Regina never thought she'd see, but she noticed that while Emma may not have realized, they were both craving the same types of foods and it only made sense she'd start to enjoy one of Regina's favorites. Regina pulled her own salad closer to her and started eating as well, alternating between slices of cucumbers and bites of salad until she had polished everything off. She looked up at Emma, caught in her surprised gaze. 

 

"Wow…I'm pretty sure I've never seen you eat that fast." Emma said, the smile breaking across her face. 

 

"I am growing your two children inside of me. What did you expect?" Regina answered cheekily. 

 

Emma just snorted at her wife's response and pulled the unopened container towards them. She drummed her fingers on the top of it as she spoke, "So I think we should tell Snow and Charming tonight…maybe invite them over for dinner so we're on our home turf?" 

 

Regina eyed the container again, her eyes shifting between it and Emma's. "It depends on what you brought me." 

 

Emma smiled and opened the lid, pushing it towards Regina, the smell of coffee wafting out. "Tiramisu. I had Granny make some with decaf. I know how deprived you've felt lately since you've had to cut back." 

 

Regina's eyes widened and she pulled the container even closer to her. Her eyes closed as she took a deep breath, the smell of coffee bringing a smile to her face. When she opened them again she saw Emma just watching her, a smile playing on her face as well. "Well played my dear. I'll allow you to invite them over."

 

"And what about telling them tonight?" 

 

"I don't suppose you'll let me wait until we're 8 months along do you?" Regina didn't bother looking up at Emma, her attention fully on the next bite of tiramisu. She moaned loudly, pulling the fork out of her mouth slowly.

 

Emma's eyes trekked Regina's every move, her mind totally distracted from the conversation. "If I had known this was the reaction you'd have I would have waited and given it to you tonight." 

 

"You can give me something else tonight…" Regina said, as she licked the fork clean, her eyes fluttering shut again. 

 

"That…that is…damn woman. You're going to kill me. You're just…you're perfect."

 

Regina winked at her very flustered wife and closed the desert container. "We can tell them tonight."

 

"Well, now I don't want to. I think we have better things to do…." Emma whined.

 

"Patient is a virtue, or so I'm told. This," She gestured to herself, "should motivate you to make it a very short evening." 

 

Emma just shook her head. "That evil streak really hasn't dimmed much has it?" 

 

"Of course not. I wouldn't be me if it did. And we'd be so very boring." 

 

"Okay, so we'll invite them over, tell them over dinner so they can get whatever their reaction is going to be out of the way and they won't have a reason to hang around once we're done eating." 

 

Regina leaned back in her chair and just nodded her head at Emma's plan. 

 

"That's not how it's going to go at all is it?" Emma asked, her eyes narrowing at Regina's too-easy compliance.

 

"Doubtful." Regina said as she rose from the table. She patted Emma's shoulder absently as she made her way back over to her desk. 

 

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When Emma heard the doorbell ring that night, 15 minutes before the time she'd actually told her parents to show up, she panicked. She raced towards the front door hoping to beat Regina there, still not trusting her wife's motives for the evening. She was too late. 

 

"Snow, Charming. I'm so glad you could come over this evening. Please come in." Regina said politely, her fake politician smile plastered on her face. Emma grimaced at the tone, knowing immediately she was in for a torturous evening. 

 

"We're so glad you invited us. It's nice when we can all get together like this. It really is so nice when we all get to talk and share things." Snow said, just as fake. 

 

David shot his daughter a confused look and she only shrugged in return. He knew that he was missing something, but was content to let it play out if Emma was. 

 

"Isn't it?" Regina said, her mouth curling up at the corners. "And we have some very exciting news to share with you tonight." 

 

Snow gasped and squealed and couldn't contain a few quick, excited claps. 

 

"Regina." Emma ground out between clenched teeth. 

 

"We're…." Regina started, pausing dramatically. "We're going to buy Henry a car for his 16th birthday." 

 

Emma rolled her eyes and Snow instantly deflated, but David's eyes widened excitedly at the news. 

 

"We thought perhaps you could help us with that David." Regina said pleasantly. 

 

"Of course." He trailed Regina into the dining room, practically pushing his wife out of the way to follow her. "What are you thinking? A classic? Something new?" 

 

Emma just patted her mom on the back in consolation. "Come on. Help me finish up the salad?" 

 

Snow nodded her head and followed Emma into the kitchen, leaving Regina and David to debate the pros and cons of a new car by themselves. 

 

"So how have you been? I feel like I haven't seen you in weeks." Snow asked when they walked into the kitchen. 

 

"I'm good. It's just been really busy around here." Emma answered vaguely. 

 

"So," Snow hesitated, taking a deep breath before continuing. "I know you told me that the subject is closed, but is there anything on the baby front?" 

 

"Um…"

 

"Emma," Regina swept into the kitchen, pausing when she saw the panicked look on Emma's face. "I'm sorry, am I interrupting a mother-daughter moment?" 

 

"No, No. I was just asking Emma if she had any baby news." Snow turned fully towards Regina, challenging her to answer. 

 

"Mmm. I thought that Emma had specifically told you _not_ to ask about that?" Regina closed the distant between them, stopping only inches away from her.

 

"Oooookay." Emma said, sliding her arm between the two women, pushing her mother back a few steps. The two women continued to stare each other down until Regina spoke, her eyes never leaving Snow's. 

 

"I came in here to ask you to open a bottle of wine. I thought we'd _all_ enjoy some. The new blended we just picked up should go nicely with the lasagna." Her eyes finally sliding over towards Emma's. 

 

"Sure." Emma's face scrunched up in confusion. "Snow, why don't you go sit down with David. We'll be in in just a minute." She watched her mom stalk out of the kitchen before she turned to her wife. "Regina…"

 

"What? Would you rather I continue to let her badger you?" Her arms crossing over her chest, foot tapping angrily. 

 

"Badger me? She wasn't…well she sort of was, but you can't just go at her like that. And what's with the wine? You can't drink." Emma took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. Her nerves were already fried about their announcement and the tension between Snow and Regina wasn't helping. 

 

"I know that, but she doesn't. And I blame your unborn children for my added aggression. I can't seem to reign myself in like I normally do." Regina's face conveying actual frustration at the statement. 

 

"My unborn children. That's how this is going to go? Their mine when they cause trouble?" Emma said, smiling for the first time since the front door opened. She crossed over to Regina and pulled her into a hug. Regina allowed the contact, burying her face in Emma's neck and soaking in the comfort. 

 

"That's exactly how it's going to go. I'm sorry. I didn't really mean for it to go that far." Regina looked up, hoping to convey her sincerity with her eyes. 

 

"I believe you. Now let's get this food out there and get a bottle of wine opened up. I think there might be a few of us at the table that really need it." 

 

Regina nodded her head and picked up the salad, taking it into the dining room. Emma pulled out a bottle of wine and busied herself with the opener. 

 

Through the open kitchen door Emma heard Regina address Snow. She smiled to herself, thinking that she was going to apologize for her behavior. Unfortunately, that wasn't what she heard.

 

"I'm carrying your grandchildren, Snow. I would be a little nicer to me if I were you. And yes I did say _children._ As in plural." Regina's voice carried into the kitchen, followed by the sound of glass shattering. 

 

"Oh god." Emma groaned. 

 


	12. Chapter 12

Regina couldn't stop the small yelp that escaped when Snow launched herself at her and as two strong arms clamped around her, the salad bowl slipped from her fingers, crashing to the ground. 

 

"Snow get off me!" Regina struggled a little against the hold, her arms trapped down by her sides unable to push the woman away. 

 

David sat frozen at the table, trying to decide if he should interfere or not, his mouth hanging open at the scene in front of him. When Emma came running in from the kitchen she stopped abruptly just inside the doorway, her face mirroring his. She glanced at him, hoping to take a cue from him on how to proceed, but all she received was a blank look and a shrug of his shoulder. As the seconds ticked by, Emma started to shuffle in place hoping that Regina wasn't going to resort to out right violence to release herself. 

 

"Snow! Get off me. This is not how it's supposed to go." Regina growled, the anger and confusion evident on her face. 

 

Snow finally pulled back and released her hold, her arms dropping away from Regina, but she continued to smile brightly, studying the woman's face as though she was seeing her for the first time. "I think it's exactly how its suppose to go." She whispered softly, tears threatening at the corners of her eyes. 

 

Emma finally broke the trance the two women had fallen into and came up beside Regina. "Everything okay here?" 

 

"Yes, everything is just perfect." Snow answered quickly, turning her smile towards her daughter.

 

"No." Regina said, shaking her head back and forth slowly. "No. You don't get to be like this. You don't get to say that." 

 

Snow's head whipped back towards Regina, her expression shifting from awe to anger instantly. "Yes. Yes I do. David, Emma do you mind giving us a minute?" She turned her glare towards her husband and he quickly jumped out of his seat and grabbed Emma's arm, pulling her towards the doorway. 

 

"Regina?" Emma asked. 

 

Regina nodded her head once and waved her hand, dismissing her worried spouse. She kept her gaze on Snow, trying to decide if she should be the one to strike first, when Snow spoke again. 

 

"Why don't we sit down?" She said, making her way over to the table. 

 

One perfectly sculpted eyebrow lifted, surprised at the audacity of the woman playing hostess in _her_ house. 

 

"Just sit down Regina. Emma will kill us both if I leave you standing there any longer than necessary." 

 

Lips pursed together at the truth of the statement and with a sigh she sat down, taking the seat at the head of the table. Snow sat to her right and it took everything she had to wait the other woman out. She laced her fingers together in front of her, looking every bit the patient listener. 

 

Snow watched Regina take a seat and her mind turned over the different ways to start this conversation. There were things that needed to be said between them and despite the somewhat amicable relationship they'd shared the past few years there would always be varying degrees of hurt feelings left hanging between them. Snow hoped that maybe they could clear some of that away tonight. "What were you expecting me to do Regina?"

 

"I was expecting shock, maybe tears, disappointment that it's not your precious Emma that's pregnant, anything but happiness. But no, you couldn't give me that satisfaction could you Snow?" Dark eyes shifted to her and Snow sat back in her chair, startled by the emotion swirling in them. 

 

She deflated at Regina's tone and looked down at the table before answering. "No I couldn't." She looked back up, knowing that what she said next was going to anger the brunette even more. "I've wished for you to be pregnant since I was a little girl." 

 

After a slight pause, Regina spoke, the anger evident in her voice. "Of course you did." 

 

"Regina, just let me explain. Please." Snow watched as Regina visibly tried to tamper down her anger at the situation and make an effort to hear her out. "I knew that you didn't love my father and I knew that you were still so very angry at me after Daniel…" Snow shook her head, not wanting to take the conversation down that path. "Anyway I knew you were unhappy, but you took such good care of me anyway. I didn't know exactly where babies came from so when I was younger I started to wish that you'd get pregnant so that you could have someone of your own to take care of, someone you could be a real mother to. It wasn't until much later that I realized how someone actually got pregnant and I was oddly relieved that you hadn't…" She trailed off again, looking at Regina, trying to gauge whether or not she should continue. When she saw an odd curiosity in Regina's eyes she took a breath and started again. 

 

"When I was older, even when we were fighting, I still used to wish that maybe you'd find your happy ending and the nightmare would be over. And now? Now I couldn't be more happy that this is happening--happening _for_ you. I know…you're going to get pissed, more pissed, when I say this," Snow laughed a little at the eye roll she received from her statement and continued. "You've raised two kids that weren't yours--and I know--I _know_ Henry's your son and that you couldn't love him any more than you do, that's not what I mean--I'm just so glad that for once you're getting to experience parenting when it wasn't forced on you or when you had to worry about when the other shoe was going to drop. You're so good at being a mom, Regina. Henry turned out to be such a fine young man, so honest and brave and loyal and _good."_

 

"I hate that word." Regina said, trying to stymy the flood of emotions pouring out of Snow. 

 

"I know you do, just as much as I hate the word evil. I never should have attached that to you. There is no way someone truly evil could raise such wonderful people." 

 

"People?" Regina asked wryly. 

 

"Yes. I think I turned out alright. I mean not that I ever thought of you as my mother…more as a...I don't really know. You've just always been Regina to me. Anyway, that time I had to run for my life from you and lived in the woods did me some good, grew me a backbone." She smiled fully at Regina, knowing that her words were actually sinking in this time. They had spent so much time fighting each other, she knew Regina never realized she'd truly only ever wished the best for her, regardless of how misguided that was at times. 

 

"Mmm, yes. You were quite the delicate flower before that weren't you?" Regina paused, another question on the tip of her tongue. Throwing caution to the wind, she asked softly, "Do you really think I'm a good mother?" It pained her to ask Snow of all people that question, but out of anyone Snow held the answer she needed. She not only had experienced her caregiving, she watched as Henry grew up and she had known Cora. She also trusted Snow to be honest with her, where Emma would always rally behind her and encourage her and in the best way--never recognize her faults. 

 

"Yes. With out a doubt yes." Snow shook her head adamantly. 

 

"Henry hated me for years…" 

 

"Henry hated the lies. He never hated you. Even before the curse broke he knew something was off, something wasn't quite right here, but that inquisitiveness and that intuitiveness came from you. Because you raised him to be confident, to see beyond the surface. After the curse when he saw you, the honest, true you he never hesitated in loving and protecting you." Snow reached out and squeezed Regina's clasped hands for a moment, both women recognizing the need for a moment of reflection. 

 

"Thank you. I suppose after all that confession I can let you be happy for me, for us." Regina said, hoping to move the conversation away from such heavy topics. She'd had enough emotional bonding for one evening with the woman. "We should probably call our spouses back in before…well before God only knows what with those two. I mean honestly, I didn't know that clumsy, grandiose behavior was hereditary but Emma truly is her father's daughter in that regard."

 

Snow just beamed at the compliment. She knew that Regina was trying to deflect from their earlier emotions, but she couldn't help hear the truth behind her statement. "Yes, well I think they can be in charge of cleaning up the mess from the salad you dropped. We can go reheat the rest of this, there's no way those two won't be starving by now." 

 

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"Are you…do you want to talk about anything? Like maybe what happened between you and Snow?" Emma asked hesitantly as she closed their bedroom door behind her. She was a little more than baffled that evening when she and David were let back into the dining room to find both woman a little teary eyed. Neither said another word about it though the rest of the evening, instead the topic shifted to baby planning and of all things the baby shower, which Regina put up no fight to Snow volunteering to plan. 

 

"I have more pressing matters to attend to then to rehash the conversation I had with your mother."

 

"Like what?"

 

"Like what? I just had to watch you eat a piece of chocolate cheesecake, making it sound very much like you were…well eating _me_. I think it's only fair you deliver a repeat performance." Regina smirked at her wife, who still stood by the doorway, the debate on what to do playing clearly on her face. "I'm fine Emma. Snow and I simply had to clear the air. Again. You know I wanted her to be horrified by our announcement and when she wasn't…well I was mad. She was surprisingly forth coming though and she made a few good points. Another few old wounds healed up. Now can you ravish me?" 

 

Emma studied her for a few beats before she crossed the room to stand in front of her. "You're really okay?" 

 

"I'm more than okay." Regina leaned forward rubbing her lips across Emma's mouth, an almost kiss. "Your clothes are in the way dear." She murmured, Emma's soft sigh of pleasure causing her stomach to clench with desire. She wanted to go slow, to revel in every little noise Emma made, but she wasn't sure she could do that tonight. 

 

With a wave of her hand Emma made her own clothes disappear. "I've been practicing." She said, the smile on her face triumphant. 

 

"So I see…I should lecture you about the price of magic but…" Regina waved her hand and her clothes disappeared as well. "I'd be a hypocrite right now." 

 

Emma moved forward, her hands landing on Regina's hips guiding her back towards the bed. She slanted her mouth down Regina's throat and sucked at the soft skin. "I love how you taste." She said as she guided them down onto the mattress. 

 

"Better than cheesecake?" Regina quipped, her hands moving all over Emma's back and sides and down to her ass, her fingers digging into the soft flesh. 

 

"Definitely." Emma said, the tip of her tongue skimming the edge of Regina's lips before diving deeper, teasing the inside of her mouth. Regina arched up, groaning and gripped Emma's shoulders, their breasts pushing together. The feel of Emma's hard nipples brushing against her shot a painful wave of desire through her. She couldn't get enough, needed more. 

 

"Emma, I…" She trailed off as Emma's mouth moved down capturing her hard nipple, sucking and biting, her tongue flicking and teasing. "I need you…" She trailed off again, the words feeling foreign in her mouth, but she couldn't deny they were the truth. 

 

Feeling a shift in the mood, Emma pulled her head up and looked into Regina's eyes. "I don't have words for how much I need you…for how much I always want you…I love you." 

 

Tears gathered in the corners of Regina's eyes, the emotions from the evening almost to much to handle. "I love you too." She whispered, her nails scoring Emma's back as she tried to bring them closer, kissing Emma hard and rough and loving all at once. Before Regina could protest Emma had pulled away and moved down in between her legs. She tried to pull her back up, but Emma just kept moving towards her goal. 

 

"You're so close, I can feel you throbbing. Just let me taste you…" Emma hovered over Regina's clit for an excruciating moment before slowly running her tongue the length of her opening, then diving back in exploring all of her with her tongue and her mouth and teasing her with her teeth. She followed the rhythm of Regina's breathing, the quivering of her thighs spurring her on. She sucked her clit into her mouth, not letting up as she slid a single finger inside, pumping it in and out slowly until Regina cried out. She continued to lick and suck, riding out ever last tremor until she felt Regina go limp. She pulled out slowly and crawled her way up Regina's body, kissing her lightly on the way. 

 

When she kissed her lightly on the mouth, Regina's eyes popped open, a mixture of emotions swirling in them. "Just give me one moment and I'll return the favor…"

 

"I'm not going to argue with you tonight. That was amazing, you're amazing. It's not going to take me much to come…" Emma trailed off as her head hit Regina's shoulder and she curled into her tighter. "I love making you come like that…"

 

"I love it too…"Regina's smile was evident in her voice, even though Emma's head was still buried in her neck. Regina used Emma's dazed state to flip her over onto her side, her hand sliding over her taunt stomach, grazing her center. 

 

"Regina…don't tease…" Emma gasped as the hand continued to graze over her, teasing lightly. She tried to arch up for more pressure, but was denied when when the had pulled away. "Please…"

 

"Like this?" Regina pressed down and massaged in slow deep circles, rolling the shaft of Emma's clit beneath her fingertips. 

 

"You're…I'm going to…Reg…" Emma gasped.

 

Regina's heart swelled when Emma's eyes opened wide and she cried out for more. She continued her pumping, Emma rubbing against her in a steady rhythm. Regina stared in wonder at how beautiful her wife was in that moment, open and vulnerable. She slipped two fingers inside, pumping harder and deeper with every thrust until Emma's cries became louder and she crashed over the edge, screaming Regina's name and clinging to her desperately. 

 

Emma slowly flipped them over, wrapping her arm snuggly around Regina's waist and pulling her close to her. She smile when she heard Regina's mumbled I love you and she snuggled in closer to her as they drifted off to sleep. 

 


	13. Chapter 13

"Emma are you sure about this?" Henry asked, the hesitation clearly visible on his face. 

 

"Of course I'm sure. We'll have plenty of time to finish up. You're mom's shopping in Portland with Katherine so she won't be home all day." Emma said, as she trudged up the stairs, her arms full of painting supplies. 

 

"It's not getting done that I'm worried about, it's the surprise part. I'm pretty sure you shouldn't surprise a pregnant woman…"

 

Emma continued down the hallway towards the babies' room and set down the remaining things they needed to complete their project. "You worry too much kid. It's not like we're going to jump out at her when she gets home. We'll just bring her up here and show her and she's going to love it." 

 

"And you're sure that she won't mind that you picked out the cribs by yourself?" Henry asked again, trying to make sure that they had all their bases covered. 

 

Emma walked over to Henry and brought both her hands down on his shoulders. "Of course she would mind. That's the beauty of this plan. For the past month I've been asking her if she liked the ones we just bought or another decoy crib better whenever she wanted to look at baby stuff. And every time she picked this model. Then I would mention the fact that it would look really good in the nursery with the walls painted pale yellow and she would usually nod her head. And then I would get all vague about something else to get her off the subject so she couldn't pin me down on any decisions." 

 

Henry was nodding his own head, his teeth worrying on his lower lip. "So really she picked all this out and she didn't even know it?" 

 

"Yep. I'm practically a genius. If there were wife olympics I would get a gold medal." 

 

"How about you congratulate yourself after mom gets home and doesn't kill you?" Henry said, his hands on his hips, channeling every bit of his other mother. "What do you want to start with?" 

 

"I figured we'd get a coat of paint on the walls, put a crib together, another coat of paint and then put together the other crib." Emma crouched down and popped open the first can of paint. "Simple as that."

 

"Yeah, famous last words." Henry said with a shake of his head. 

 

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"This is so exciting Regina! I can't wait to get there. It will be like shopping but better because we don't have to pay for anything." Katherine glanced over at her passenger, taking in the less then pleased look on her face. "Hey, you don't get to look like that today. It's going to be fun. Trust me." 

 

Regina just continued to look perturbed at the situation. Going outside the Storybrooke boundaries always made her nervous and she was very unhappy about the whole trip. When Katherine had suggested that they register for their joint baby shower in Portland she thought that Emma was going to be coming with them. Regina was sorely disappointed this morning when she'd begged off the trip because "she had stuff to do." Regina couldn't think of anything more important then picking out the babies things, but Emma had become increasingly hard to pin down about planning anything regarding them over the past month. "I'm sorry Katherine. You know I just get nervous leaving the town boundaries. I'm sure once we get there I'll perk up." Regina said unconvincingly. 

 

"You better. How did you get Snow to agree to helping plan our joint baby shower anyway?" Katherine asked.

 

"Well, I'd already agreed to let her plan mine in a moment of weakness so really I didn't get her to agree. I just told her it was what I wanted and she had to go with it. It's just an added bonus that she'll remember you slept with Charming every time she looks at you at the party."

 

"Don't remind me please. That's something I wish I didn't remember…" Katherine smirked. "You could have a least cursed me with someone a little more adventurous in bed. I have to say I'm quite glad he was in a coma for the first 28 years. Doing the same thing over and over and over for that long..."

 

"That's enough. I would rather not picture it. And I obviously didn't mean for him to ever wake up. My intent was only to keep him from his precious Snow. I really thought you and your knight would have found each other and you'd have something going with him long before you did." Regina said, slightly uncomfortable at the turn the conversation had taken. 

 

"Hey," Katherine patted Regina's leg in comfort. "I was just kidding with you. Everything worked out exactly how it was supposed to." 

 

"True." Regina said, noticing that they were pulling up to the Babies 'R' Us store. "Looks like we're here. Let's get this over with." 

 

"Regina." 

 

"Let's get this party started?" Regina said, the sarcasm dripping from her words. 

 

Katherine laughed out loud and shook her head at Regina's dry whit. Who would have ever known the Evil Queen was so funny? "You sounded just like Emma just then." Katherine said as she got out of the car, with a little boost from the passenger's side. 

 

"Yes, well I am married to her dear. That means she rubs off on me--in more ways than one." Regina smirked as she opened the door for the blonde to enter the store, the double-entendre causing a gleam in her eye. 

 

"So I've heard. Oh my god this place is enormous. Where do we even start?" Katherine mumbled. "I'm not even sure I know what I need…" 

 

Regina just stood beside Katherine, just as overcome with the choices surrounding them as she was. A store clerk approached them before they moved any further into the store. 

 

"Excuse me? Are you two here to register?" The clerk asked, her overwhelming perkiness annoying both women. 

 

"Yes." Regina said shortly. 

 

"Right this way. I'll just sign a scan gun out to you and I also have a list of things women typically put on their lists to help you out." The portly woman waved at them to follow her over the the registry desk to begin the process. Within minutes they were set up and set loose in the store to add whatever their hearts desired to their lists. 

 

"Oh my god Regina. This is so dangerous. No wonder Fredrick and Emma didn't want to come…they might not have survived." Katherine said, her hand reaching out to grip Regina's arm. 

 

The mention of Emma not wanting to come sparked her earlier melancholy and she simply nodded her head in agreement, not wanting to further the discussion any more. Thankfully her companion dragged her off towards the clothing section and it was finished. They each wandered through the department separately, scanning items here and there, showing things off to the other one if they found something cute. Regina found herself ewing and awing at the tiny little outfits, the emotional reaction to clothing surprising her. 

 

She found herself having a good time, until she came across the bib section and one particular piece jumped out at her. She took it off the rack and was once again surprised when the tears formed in her eyes. Overcome, she glanced around making sure that Katherine wasn't close by and she let the tears fall. She had learned over the past few weeks that if she tried to stop or tamper her emotions they would only come back later--and they would always come back in a much more dramatic fashion. She jumped when she felt a hand patting her back, sliding around in comforting circles. She must have misjudged how close by the blonde was. 

 

"What's wrong?" Katherine asked softly. She was a little bit startled by the show of emotion from Regina, but she also understood there were just things that you couldn't control when you had something growing inside you. 

 

Regina looked up, embarrassment coloring her cheeks, but when she saw understanding in Katherine's eyes she simply held up the bib for the woman to see. "This." 

 

Katherine looked at the item Regina was holding up for her and it read "These fools put my cape on backwards." She smiled at the sentiment and looked questioningly at her friend. 

 

"Emma would have wanted to buy this for the babies. But she's not here." 

 

Katherine simply pulled Regina into an embrace, hoping that it wasn't going to get her head bit off and was a little taken aback when she felt the hug being returned. "Are you just missing her?"

 

Regina stepped back from her, wiping at her eyes and gathering herself. She took a deep breath to calm herself and shook her head. "No, that's not it. It's just that for the past month she's become very…I don't want to say distant, but very noncommittal about anything that has to do with these two." Regina rubbed her stomach, which was now very visibly showing off her state. "The first month after we told her parents it was wonderful. We'd talk about things, her and Henry were constantly making plans to get things done and they even borrowed Ashley's baby to help baby proof things." Regina chuckled at the memory of Emma and Henry following the toddler around, making notes on everything she tried to get into. "I just don't know what happened. I think maybe she's not excited anymore." 

 

Regina felt another wave of tears coming and she mentally cursed every extra hormone in her body. Wiping at her eyes again she looked at Katherine, hoping that she would be able to help her out of her funk. 

 

"I really doubt that's true. Trust me, everything going on in your body right now is clouding up how you see things. I wasn't supposed to tell you but she called this morning lecturing me on safe driving and reminding me you get nervous leaving town. She was every bit the mama bear you would expect her to be. Maybe she's just been trying to not drive you crazy? I could see that being the case more than anything." 

 

Regina thought back over the past month she'd been feeling this way and realized that Emma hadn't been any less loving towards her and had taken care of her every whim and need without a single complaint. It was only making decisions that she seemed to pull back from. "Perhaps she has just been giving me space on those things. I don't know anymore." 

 

"I know I'm only a month ahead of you, but you're going to have to start talking about this kind of stuff together before it gets out of hand. Trust me, it only gets to be more of an emotional roller coaster from here on out. You've still got 4 months to go girlfriend." Katherine smiled brightly, noticing that Regina was already starting to feel better. 

 

"Ugh, don't remind me. I've almost magicked all my clothes to the brink. I'm going to have to start buying actual maternity clothes soon, I feel huge already." 

 

"So that's your secret to a fabulous wardrobe. You just made yours bigger. I'm going to go ahead and tell you there is nothing fair about that." 

 

Regina turned and grabbed another one of the bibs down from the shelf. "You're right. And trust me I paid the price. I've already ruined more clothes then you can imagine. There's only so far you can magically stretch something. I'm buying these two things today." 

 

Katherine just went with the abrupt change in topic, knowing that _she'd_ already stretched the limits of an emotional conversation with her friend. "You should. Now let's go check out strollers." Katherine linked arms with Regina and tugged them off towards another corner of the store. 

 

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"Hey Henry can you open that window? I think these paint fumes are getting to me. The first crib was a lot easier to put together…shouldn't it be the other way around?" Emma asked from her spot on the floor.

 

"Should be. But that was like 5 hours ago. And 2 coats of paint." Henry muscled the window open, the wood groaning in protest. "You want me to clean up the rest of this paint? I need a break from the crib of doom." 

 

"No, leave it out just in case we see some touch up areas when this coat dries. Come here and hold this side. I think I got it." 

 

Henry moved back across the room, holding the end of the crib while Emma tried in vein to line up the screw holes. He looked around the room, taking in the color and he actually found that he liked it. When his eyes caught movement by the window he looked over Emma's shoulder and he couldn't believe what he saw. "Uh…Emma…" He said, his finger pointing to the window sill. 

 

"Crap…what the hell? Shoo squirrel!" Emma yelled, moving towards the creature, waving her hands like a maniac. "Get back outside…"

 

Henry and Emma watched in horror as the little squirrel wiggled his nose at them and jumped down from his perch into the room with them. 

 

"Guess he doesn't know what shoo means…" 

 

"You're snark is not helping! What do we do?!" Emma yelled, the squirrel clearly unaffected by the noise. 

 

"Freeze it!" 

 

"What the hell are you talking about?"

 

"Mom and me used to watch a lot of Charmed. Freeze it and we'll throw it outside…" Henry said with a shrug of his shoulders. 

 

"Charmed? Your mom?" Emma turned to Henry, not bothering to hide the look of disbelief on her face. 

 

"Emma! Focus!" 

 

"Okay, I can do this…" Emma put her hands out in front of her, palms facing the squirrel. She thought about how pissed Regina would be if she came home to a rogue squirrel in her house and she used the fear it triggered to fuel the magic. "Freeze!" A burst of white smoke engulfed the little animal and when it cleared there were two sets of eyes sitting there staring at them. 

 

"Why does your magic keep making two of everything!!" Henry screamed.

 

"I don't know! Stop yelling at me!" Emma's eyes darted around the room looking for anything to use as a weapon. When she didn't find anything she looked to Henry hoping he'd have another plan. 

 

"We're just going to have to chase them out the front door." 

 

"Good idea. Go open it up and come back to help me." Emma said, praying with everything she had the squirrels wouldn't move until he got back. He quickly rushed out of the room and down the steps as she continued to stare down the little creatures. She sighed with relief when she heard him running back up the stairs and when he burst back into the room, the previously docile squirrels suddenly spooked and bolted under the fully assembled crib. 

 

"I'm gonna scare them out, you chase them down the stairs when they come out okay?" Emma said, already on her hands and knees by the crib. 

 

"Okay let me just grab…." Henry trailed off as Emma started banging on the crib and he watched as both animals ran out from their hiding spot straight into the roller pan of paint sitting on the floor. 

 

"Shit!" Emma yelled again as she watched the two squirrels roll around in the pan. "Grab them!" Emma started moving towards them when they suddenly righted themselves and they took off out the doorway. "Just keep chasing them outside! GO!" 

 

Henry shook himself out of his stupor and chased the squirrels down the steps, trying to not slip in the trail of paint they were leaving behind. He prayed they would see the sunlight and head straight out the front. When they did, he followed them all the way outside onto the porch, making sure they didn't have plans to come back in. He let out a victory yelp when they disappeared into another tree, his fist pumping in the air. He heard a throat clear next to him and he realized he wasn't standing out there alone. His mother had come home early. 

 

"Uh…I gotta go!" Henry took off the porch as fast as his legs would carry him. He didn't turn around at his mother's calls, instead turning down the street towards his grandparents house. 

 

Regina couldn't believe what she'd just witnessed, but the trail of tiny yellow foot prints confirmed it. Two yellow squirrels were just chased out of her house by her son. Emma's bug sat in the driveway so she was certain the blonde had something to do with it. She glanced down the street at Henry's back and decided it wasn't worth the chase. He had to come home eventually. She stepped over the trail of yellow paint and into the foyer, noticing that the paint continued all the way up the stairs.Her eyes followed the trail all the way up and when her eyes reached the top they collided with a very surprised set of blue-green ones. 

 

"You're..not Henry…" Emma said, her excitement at besting the squirrels evaporating. Regina stood at the bottom of the steps, arms crossed over her chest, looking expectantly at Emma for an explanation. "Can you just gimme like an hour? I'll have all this cleaned up and…"

 

"No." Regina cut off Emma's attempt and started to make her way up the stairs. 

 

"Come on, please? You're gonna ruin the surprise…" Emma trailed off hopelessly and watched as Regina stalked past her barely sparing her a glare as she went by. 

 

Regina stopped dead in the doorway off the nursery. Her eyes taking in the yellow walls and the crib pieces scattered around and the finished one in the corner. She couldn't stop the tears in her eyes and as Emma approached she flung herself into her wife's arms. 

 

"Whoa, okay. Hey, are you crying?" Emma asked, unsure on how to proceed. She felt Regina's head shake in denial, but she curled her arms around the brunette a little tighter anyway. "I'm sorry. I promise I can fix it, I just really wanted to surprise you…" Emma continued to hold on to Regina, rubbing her back and placing little kisses in her hair until she felt her start to pull away. 

 

Regina slid out of the embrace, her hand capturing one of Emma's so that they could stay connected. "It's perfect…" She turned and looked into the room again her eyes seeing beyond the mess. 

 

"Huh?" Emma responded, still not following what was happening. 

 

"I said it's perfect…I thought that maybe you weren't as excited about the babies any more…you'd just seemed so disengaged whenever I wanted to plan this out…" Regina said, trying to explain herself fully. She knew she was being much more emotional then usual and she wanted Emma to understand her. 

 

"Hey…no…I've been planning this for awhile so I had to try and distract you whenever you got it in your head you wanted to get it done. Henry helped too. The coward…." Emma pulled her back into an embrace, both of them looking into the room smiling. Emma let out a content sigh when Regina laid her head on her shoulder. 

 

"As perfect as this is you're still cleaning it all up. Do I want to know how two squirrels got in the house and got covered in yellow paint?" 

 

"Probably not. Unless you want to tell me about your Charmed obsession."

 

"Hmmm…I'll just leave you to it then. I'm going to go lay down and take a little nap." Regina turned and made her way towards their bedroom. It seemed that she was going to have to remind Henry their were a few things that needed to stay between just the two of them once he returned home. 

 


	14. Chapter 14

"You're sure that you're okay to go by yourself?" Emma asked from her seat at the kitchen island. "I can always re-schedule my meeting." 

 

Regina turned from the sink, her pregnant belly more and more visible with each passing day. Emma couldn't help but stare at it in wonder. "My eyes are up here." Regina said, pointing to her face. "There was a time where I had to tell you that because you were staring at my other assets…" 

 

"Oh, I didn't miss those…trust me." Emma said, her eyes moving to the two assets in question. "You didn't answer my question." 

 

"I'll be fine. It's only my 6 month check up. I'm sure it will just be more of the same. Besides, you've been putting off this staff meeting long enough. You need to make sure everyone's prepared for your time off when the babies get here." Regina's hand automatically went to cover her belly, rubbing it in circles comfortably, a habit she'd just recently started. 

 

Emma narrowed her eyes at her wife, ready to start spouting a rebuttal when Henry shuffled into the kitchen. "Moms." 

 

Emma turned her attention to their very-nearly 16 year old and smirked at his appearance. Eyes barely open, a severe case of bed head, and she wasn't sure if he was still in his pajamas or if he was dressed for the day. "Morning sunshine." 

 

"Shut up." He sent a glare in Emma's direction before turning to his other mother. "Can you just throw my breakfast in a tupperware? I'm already late." He leaned over and gave Regina a kiss on the cheek, a rare show of affection but one that had her glowing. 

 

"Of course. Anything else you need?" Regina turned and struggled to reach the containers on the second shelf of the cabinet, her stomach preventing her from reaching out far enough. She huffed in frustration, but instantly calmed when she felt a hand on her back. Emma came up behind her, reaching out over her to grab it for her. She winked and added an extra a pat to her back before taking her seat at the island again. 

 

"You two are gross." Henry shook his head and grabbed a bottle of juice from the fridge. "I could use a car, but other than that I'm good." 

 

"We've discussed the car situation. Get a job. Get a car." Regina handed over the omelet and straightened out his shirt a little. 

 

"Not fair."

 

"Sorry kid." Emma chimed in. 

 

"Whatever. I'm outta here." Henry waved a goodbye and headed out of the kitchen to gather up the rest of his things for school. Regina smiled at his departure, shaking her head at his and Emma's similar morning disposition. 

 

"Did you arrange for him to start working with Leroy on Saturday's?" Regina asked as she crossed over to lean against the island next to her wife. 

 

"Yeah, he's gonna shit when he finds out we're getting him a car anyway." Emma pulled Regina a little closer to her, trapping her between her legs. 

 

"We told him to get a job, we didn't say how long he would have to wait after that." Regina smirked and when she heard the front door click shut she muttered a thank god under her breath. At Emma's puzzled look she simply raised one eyebrow and started to unbutton her shirt. 

 

"Oh." Emma said, both her eyebrows shooting up. 

 

"Yes "oh." I don't think you realize what seeing your naked body prance around our room every morning does to me." Regina's shirt fell open and Emma watched with excitement as Regina's hands moved towards the front clasp of her bra. With a quick twist of her fingers, the clasp was undone and two very perfect breasts popped into view. 

 

Emma stood and pushed the stool back and out of her way, keeping Regina leaned up against the island. "I wish I could send the person who invented that a thank you note…" Emma moved forward, her hands opening Regina's shirt more and pushing the bra completely out of the way. "So beautiful…"

 

"You've got better things to do right now…" Regina said as she unzipped her pants, the sound of the zipper echoing in the quiet room. 

 

Emma leaned in, her mouth licking and sucking and nibbling on Regina's neck. Regina's hands tangled in her hair, pulling her away from her neck and pushing her head down towards her breast. "No need for a warm up…" She pulled Emma's head against her, Emma's mouth taking her hard nipple in it. Regina's head fell back, moaning in pleasure. She felt her panties instantly soak and she knew she'd be changing before she left the house that morning. 

 

Emma's hands moved around and slipped inside her waistline, grabbing her ass and massaging it roughly. She continued sucking and licking, using her teeth to scrape over the rock hard nipple before moving over to the other side. 

 

"Emma, please…" Regina moaned again, her hips trying to rock forward and find purchase. Her belly only bumped into Emma, causing her to growl in frustration. Emma sensed this wasn't the time to tease and she moved one hand around to Regina's center and cupped her threw her underwear. Hands almost touching as they continued their dual massage, attacking her from the front and the back, Emma moaned at the wetness already soaking through Regina's panties, coating her fingers. Regina tried to move towards her again and Emma used both her hands to push the lacy barrier down her thighs, pants falling to the floor and pooling at her feet in the process. 

 

She continued her assault on Regina's breasts and moved her hands back into position. Fingers easily slid between wet folds, two of them pushing inside, stilling when they reached their goal. "Fuck, Regina…" Emma looked up into brown eyes, and found them swirling with lust and love and impending release. She slowly started pumping in and out, her thumb brushing against her hard clit with every movement. Regina grabbed onto Emma's shirt, her fists bunching the fabric as she slowly lost control and screamed out when she climaxed.

 

Emma slowly pulled out and was mindful of her coated fingers. She let Regina's hands remain twisted up in her shirt and she reached behind her to grab a dishtowel to wipe them clean. Regina's head fell forward, resting on Emma's shoulder and she sighed in contentment. "Thank you, dear." 

 

"Hey, don't thank me for sex…" Emma said, her lips pressing together in annoyance. 

 

"I know you've had to step up your duties and you always manage to blow me away, so I will thank you if I want." Regina pressed her lips into Emma's neck and stayed buried there, Emma's arms coming around to hold her there. 

 

"Never a duty, always a privilege. I love you." She kissed the top of Regina's head and pulled her back slightly. "Besides, you owe me one now." Her only response was a slap to the shoulder and a gentle shove away. Emma took the dismissal in stride and simply slid Regina's underwear back into place for her, then bent to pull her pants back up also. 

 

Regina's eyes sparkled with love, the care Emma always seemed to show her warming her soul. "We'll see." 

 

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Dr. Whale focused on the computer screen clicking to save the last images of the sonogram and then turned to wipe the excess gel off of Regina's stomach. "Everything looks good. The babies are measuring at a normal length, your blood pressure is within normal limits and your weight is at an acceptable level. Do you have any questions for me?" 

 

Regina motioned for him to give her the towel he was still holding so that she could do a better job at cleaning off her stomach before she answered. "There is one thing," She made sure that she had his full attention before continuing. "I know that last month Emma and I told you we wanted to wait to find out the sex of the babies--That was more for Emma's sake and since she's not here today I'd like to know." She made the statement with more authority than someone laying on an exam table, belly still exposed from the exam, should have. 

 

Dr. Whale turned back to the computer, fiddling and clicking, seemingly pulling up the information Regina asked for. When he turned back around towards her he had to take a deep breath before he spoke. "Emma called before you came in and told me you'd try and get me to tell you. She said that I shouldn't because you'd just get mad I gave in." 

 

Regina glared at the man. How dare he deny her request. "If I may remind you, I'm the patient here and I'm asking you to tell me the sex of my babies. Everyone is asking me about the shower and should they buy pink or blue things. Everything I registered for was gender-neutral. Do you think that would have given them a clue? Of course not. And Snow's pestering me about whether or not I want a theme or if she should just have blue AND pink cupcakes, but what if it's 2 girls or 2 boys and they look back at the pictures and wonder…" 

 

Dr. Whale watched as Regina continued her rant, almost as though she wasn't speaking to him any more. A sharp cry of his name brought him back to reality. "How about this Madam Mayor--I'll write down what you're having on a sheet of paper and stick it in an envelope. That way you and Emma can discuss it and open it together later, at home perhaps, if you like." 

 

Regina continued to glare at the man before she gave a slight nod of her head and a curt "Fine." He rushed out the door mumbling that the girls at the reception desk would have it for her. 

 

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Emma knocked lightly on Regina's office door, hoping that the french fries she held in her hand were enough of a peace offering to get her out of trouble. She was supposed to have been here over an hour ago for lunch with her, but she had gotten held up at the station and had to resort to getting Ruby to deliver Regina's. 

 

"Come in." Regina said stiffly from the other side of the door. 

 

Emma eyeballed the brown paper sack and under her breath she mumbled, "Don't fail me now." She pushed open the door and took in the sight of her wife sitting at her desk. It was always a vision that took her breath away and it always made her think back to the early days when she would burst in without an appointment and start a fight with the brunette, just as an excuse to see her. 

 

"What was that?" Regina visibly softened when she saw Emma walk through the door. She didn't want to admit it, but the sight of her always made her think back to the days where she would have to make up an excuse to bring the Sheriff in for "meetings" just to see her. 

 

"Nothing. I brought you some french fries, sorry I'm late." Emma held up the bag and when she saw the small smile flicker across Regina's face she knew she was in the clear. It had been one of Regina's "opinions" lately and one that she'd been consuming on a daily basis. 

 

"It's fine. Let's share them on the couch?" She pushed away from the desk and with as much grace as a six month pregnant woman could muster, she rose up out of her chair and joined Emma on the couch. 

 

Emma busied herself tearing open a few ketchup packets and with a flourish presented Regina with her serving. Regina smiled at her and started happily munching away at her impromptu snack. 

 

"How was the doctor's appointment?" Emma asked once she figured Regina could take a breath between bites. 

 

"Fine. If Dr. Whale wasn't the only doctor in town I wouldn't go to him." 

 

"Why? Is he bad? Did he do something? Do I need to kick his ass?" Emma peppered her with questions rapid fire. 

 

"No, none of the above, but he does annoy me to no end…" Regina trailed off and looked as though she wanted to say more. Emma waited as she took a few more bites to see if she was going to continue. "I asked him to tell me the sex of the babies. He refused." 

 

Emma had the decency to look slightly guilty and as she started to explain herself Regina cut her off. "I understand why you called. I know what we agreed on, but that was a month ago and now I think I want to know." She turned fully towards Emma, brown eyes looking into green ones pleadingly. Emma didn't know that Regina Swan-Mills could wield puppy dog eyes like a weapon but she quickly fell for them. 

 

"Are you sure? We can go back and find out…I just went along with what you wanted."

 

"We wouldn't have to go back…He wrote it down for me and put it in a sealed envelope in case I got you to change your mind." 

 

"Tricky bastard. Make it my fault later when you change your mind back…" Emma mumbled.

 

Regina didn't comment on Emma's statement, she simply pointed to the white envelope sitting on her desk. Emma dutifully walked over and picked it up and brought it back to the couch. "My envelopes were way better. Had to special order those damn things…" She looked up sheepishly at Regina. "Sorry. Off track. Are you sure you want to do this? We already have two names picked out that will work for boys or girls so we could still wait…" 

 

"I want to know. Now." Regina was about ready to rip the envelope from Emma's hands when she once again dutifully started to tear it open. 

 

Emma's eyes scanned over the top sheet of paper, her eyes going wide for a moment. 

 

"What is it? Is something wrong?" Regina asked impatiently.

 

"No, nothing's wrong." Emma tried to hide the smile from breaking out across her face as she handed the sheet of paper to Regina. Written in bold, black marker across the sheet of paper read: **You are having two healthy babies.**

 

Regina's eyes were filled with rage when she looked back up at Emma. "That bastard. I'm going to kill him!" 

 

Emma couldn't contain the chuckle as she spoke again, "Before you do that you might want to look at the second sheet of paper he included." 

 

Regina snatched the paper out of Emma's hands and immediately recognized the handwriting. 

 

_Dr. Whale:_

_I am writing you this as proof that I have told you under NO circumstances are you to reveal the sex of the babies to me and/or my wife, Emma Swan-Mills. I will most certainly try to dissuade you from this in the coming months, but this is written proof (that you deemed necessary) that I have given you permission to do everything possible to avoid letting us know. We made this decision together and will stand by it until the day our children make their appearance to the world._

  _Regina Swan-Mills & Emma Swan-Mills_

 

Regina continued to scowl at the paper, foiled by her own pre-planning of this very attempt. She'd forgotten about the initial discussion they had had about the issue in her first trimester and the resulting note to her file. She had only thought about the re-discussion last month at her check up and she'd been sure she was going to be able to change Whale's mind. 

 

"Like I said, he's a tricky bastard…" Emma said with a shrug of her shoulders. 

 


	15. Chapter 15 (I complied several chapters together from my previous updates on FF.net--Enjoy!)

"Emma. For the last time. I will be fine." Regina huffed. 

 

"All right. Don't get all mad at me. I was just asking." Emma said as she gathered up her things. "It's just been awhile since you've been home for a whole Saturday by yourself. I forgot I took Ruby's shift today…otherwise I would have had Henry start next week with Leroy…" 

 

Regina crossed the room and gently laid her hands on her wife's shoulders. "Stop. I've had plenty of Saturday's on my own. I'm actually looking forward to it. I have plenty to keep me busy." 

 

Emma just stared at her, the disbelief showing in her expression. "You do know you're super pregnant right? And you can't exactly….ouch! What was that for?" Emma rubbed her stinging shoulder where she'd just been slapped. 

 

"Because I know super pregnant is your way of saying I'm super fat. I'm getting around just fine." Regina crossed her arms over her chest and pursed her lips together. "You should really just leave before you dig yourself any deeper." 

 

"Yes ma'am." Emma eyed Regina wearily, but braved leaning in for a kiss before she headed out. "If you get bored you can always come down to the station…" 

 

Regina took Emma by the shoulders again, turning her back around towards the door and physically shoved her at it. "Go." 

 

"Love you." Emma called as she finally took the hint and made her way outside. 

 

"Love you too, dear." Regina shut the front door and leaned against it, a half smile on her face. She really was looking forward to her day alone. With Emma and Henry's hovering getting worse the past month she felt like she'd barely had a single moment to herself. 

 

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After an hour of trying to pick up things around the house, Regina was starting to wonder when exactly she'd lost the ability to do something so simple such as bending over to pick up something off the floor. She was also loathe to admit it, but the quiet in the house had only been soothing for a few minutes and she was starting to miss Emma. She blamed her hormones, but thankfully her pride was still in tact, otherwise she thought she just might have already been sitting down at the station with her wife. 

 

She abandoned cleaning and decided that maybe she would just sit down on the couch and watch a movie. Resting was an activity that she excelled at lately and Emma would be proud she was doing so without her prompting. And if she was going to that, then she might as well put on some comfortable clothes too. The maternity pants that she was wearing looked presentable enough, but they were actually quite restricting. She rummaged through her side of the closet looking for something suitable when Emma's pile of hoodies in the corner caught her eye. 

 

She picked one up and inhaled deeply, taking in the familiar scent of her wife. Weighing the options, Regina decided that she could get away with wearing it for a little while and no one would have to know about it. It would also keep her from running down to the station before Emma's shift ended. She pulled it over her head and was, for once, thankful that Emma always seemed to buy sweatshirts a few sizes to big. There was just enough room for her to pull it over her ever expanding belly. She looked around for some yoga pants to pull on, but she didn't see any of the ones that fit her any more. With a shake of her head she decided to go one step further and forgo pants all together. 

 

It felt amazingly freeing to walk down her stairs with just a sweatshirt on. She might have just found her new secret vice. Smiling, she made her way into the living room and dug through Emma's pile of DVD's. Picking one out with two couples on the cover she popped it in the machine and settled onto the couch. 

 

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"Hey Emma." Frederick said as he strolled into the Sheriff's station. 

 

Emma gave him a puzzled look but returned his greeting. "Hey, what are you doing here?" 

 

"Oh, um…I…I may have told Katherine I had to work a few hours today…" He said, fidgeting a little in the doorway of her office. 

 

"You're just a back up--back up…oh! I gotcha. She getting a little cranky?" Emma asked with a smile. 

 

"Yeah, you could say that. This morning I got in trouble because I was breathing too loud and too close to her. So…" He trailed off, not really knowing what to expect from Emma. 

 

"I get it. I think David got the tv working in the break room if you just want to hang out for awhile? I still have some paperwork to finish up or I'd just let you take the rest of my shift." Emma felt like she should throw the guy a bone. He looked like a whipped puppy standing there and she might just need a favor from him in the coming days. Katherine was about a month ahead of Regina and so far it had worked out nicely because she got a fair amount of warning with the ever changing stages of pregnancy. She made a mental note to herself to expect the same thing in the coming month. 

 

Frederick looked visibly relieved at the offer. "Thanks, I just…I mean I love her…I just…" 

 

"Fred, I get it okay? It's no big deal. Go watch some tv and enjoy your reprieve while it lasts." Emma smiled at him again and waved him out of her office. Intent on getting back to her paperwork she suddenly felt her stomach drop and an odd tugging sensation go through her. 

 

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Regina figured she was only half way through the movie, but she'd gone through at least half a box of tissues and she was sure it wasn't meant to be a tearjerker. She was elated when the two women finally shared their first kiss, but watching them walk away from each other in the park was more than she could handle. She tried to stop the tears, but the damn baby hormones were making it impossible. She paused the movie, hoping that she could get herself under control before she continued. Emma always called this her feel good movie so it had to have a happy ending, didn't it? 

 

Reaching for another tissue to wipe her nose again, she started thinking about how truly lonely her life would be if just a few small things would have been different. She could have easily never met Emma or just as easily never ended up with Emma. There could easily be no Henry, or the children she was carrying. She started sobbing even more at the thought of how empty her life almost was and nearly jumped out of her skin when a cloud of yellow smoke appeared in the living room. 

 

When it cleared, all she could do was stare, bewildered at the sight in front of her. 

 

"What the hell just happened?!" Emma shrieked. "Did you just poof me home?" 

 

All Regina could do was shake her head no and when she did Emma seemed to suddenly take in the scene around her. "Are you okay? Why are you crying? You aren't wearing any pants. Is that one of my hoodies?" Emma's rapid fire questions didn't really seem to need answers so Regina simply patted the spot on the couch next to her so Emma would sit and comfort her. 

 

Emma took the cue and gathered Regina in her arms the best she could. When she felt the sobs stop, she gently pushed Regina's hair back a little and placed a kiss to the side of her head. "Can you tell me what happened? And how I got here?" 

 

"Well," Regina started, sniffling a little more. "Cleaning didn't go very well and I started missing you. So I thought I would rest and it made sense to put this on because it smelled like you." Regina tugged at the sweatshirt she was wearing. 

 

"And it made sense to not put pants on because pants are overrated, huh?" Emma asked with a smirk, her hand running up and down the smooth planes of Regina's leg. 

 

"Exactly. Then I thought I'd watch a movie and when you got home you'd be proud of me for resting. But this is the saddest movie I think I've ever watched." 

 

"Which movie is it?" 

 

"Imagine Me and You." Regina said, the tears starting to gather in her eyes again. 

 

Emma tried to keep the smile that was threatening at bay and kissed the top of Regina's head again to hide it. "It's not a sad movie. In fact it's a really happy lesbian movie. There's not a lot of those out there." 

 

"But…" Regina shook her head at whatever thought just crossed her mind. "So it get's better?" She finally asked, her eyes pleading with Emma to tell her it did. 

 

"Yes." Emma looked up at the paused screen and realized that Regina had stopped just after the two parted ways in the park. "I'll stay and watch the rest with you if you want. I'll just text Frederick and see if he can stick around the rest of the afternoon." She smiled at the happy look on her wife's face and marveled at what a change being pregnant was with how freely she showed her emotions. "None of that explains how I got here though." 

 

"I don't know. You showed up in a cloud of yellow." 

 

Emma scrunched her eyebrows up in confusion. "That doesn't make any sense. Your magic's purple and mines white…" She trailed off as both her and Regina looked down at her belly together, eyes wide. 

 

"You don't think…" 

 

"I don't have any better guesses, do you?" Emma said plainly. 

 

"If that's the case this pregnancy just got much more difficult." Regina rubbed a hand across her stomach, wondering if it was possible for the babies to have that kind of ability already. 

 

"Nah, I'd say it just got much more interesting. They were just taking care of their mama, they knew you needed me." Emma smiled at her wife again, hoping that she wasn't too freaked out by this latest development. "Besides, they're my kids so they're pretty advanced for their age…" 

 

Regina just rolled her eyes at Emma's boasting. "I don't think I want to think about it any more. We'll just see if it happens again. Let's watch the movie." Regina hit the play button again and snuggled deeper into Emma's side. 

 

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It happened again. And again. In fact, that next week it happened four times. And here she was once again, watching as the yellow haze cleared and Emma appeared none too pleased with the situation. "What is it this time?" Emma asked, the reasons for her being summoned becoming less and less pertinent. 

 

"I got a paper cut." Regina lifted her finger up, as though she needed to prove her children had brought their mother to her for a good reason. "You're going to have to talk to them." Regina pointed down at her stomach, one eyebrow lifted for emphasis.

 

"They aren't even born yet! How can they be causing this much trouble already?" Emma stomped her foot in frustration. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate the motive behind them bringing her to Regina time and time again, it's that it always left her to trudge back to her office, or the diner, or the grocery store. "Will they even understand if I tell them to knock it off?" 

 

Regina just smiled at Emma's frustration. She knew she shouldn't be, but every time it happened she was oddly amused. "They might. Do you have a better idea?" 

 

"No." 

 

"Okay then. Would you like to try now?" Regina still couldn't wipe the smile off her face. Emma's pout was priceless. 

 

"Yes, get over here. Let's do it on the couch." The words brought a smirk to Emma's face and she winked at Regina suggestively. 

 

"Mmmm, you're just going to have to wait until tonight for _it._ I bought something new I want to try out…" Regina smirked back at Emma, knowing she'd won this round. 

 

"Damn woman. You sure know how to make a girl's day drag on forever." Emma waited until Regina was situated on the couch and she knelt down in front of her, putting her level with her enormous belly. She leaned down and gave it a kiss before tapping it lightly with one finger. "You guys awake in there?" 

 

Regina rolled her eyes at Emma's dramatics, but kept her mouth shut and let the scene play out. 

 

"I know you guys are proud of your new trick, but you can't keep poofing me to your mom all the time. I mean, I get it. I like to protect her too and she deserves to never feel upset again for the rest of her life, but you have to just reserve the poofing for emergencies and extreme situations. Okay?" Emma stared at the belly, a puzzled look on her face. She glanced up at Regina and noticed the tears in her eyes. "Really?" 

 

Regina just narrowed them at Emma in response. 

 

"Yeah, okay. Let me just grab you a kleenex." She walked into the bathroom, grabbed a couple and made her way back to the couch. She flopped down next to Regina and handed her the tissues. "I was just telling them to knock it off…" She rubbed her face a few times and looked over at Regina again, smiling fully at her. "I meant it." 

 

"I know you did. If you weren't already here I think they would have brought you too me again." Regina chuckled through the tears, an every day occurrence at this stage and one that rarely bothered Emma any more. "Someday I will actually start to cry for a very good reason and you're not going to know the difference." 

 

"Yes I will. Gold star wife remember? But seriously, you think that helped? Because between your emotions I'm feeling, the babies' new trick, and the shower this Saturday I'm about ready to drop. How do you do it?"

 

Regina simply shrugged her shoulder a little before answering. "Iron will. And a wife who's taking the brunt of things…" 

 

"No kidding..." Emma said, smilingly. She pulled Regina in closer to her and laid her head on top of the brunette's. "Wouldn't change a thing though." 

 

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CHAPTER 16

 

 

"I changed my mind." Regina said, her eyes catching Emma's over her coffee cup. 

 

"Well that's a loaded statement…what exactly did you change your mind about?" Emma asked, her gaze dropping down to Regina's stomach. 

 

Regina narrowed her eyes at Emma until she had her full attention again. The smirk playing on the blonde's lips was enough to make her get up and leave the table, keeping her question unanswered. The problem with that was everything she did took 5 times longer than it should and Emma's hand reached out and stopped her before she could even lift herself off the seat. 

 

"Come on. Just tell me. I was just playing with you a little…" Emma kept her hand on Regina's forearm, her thumb stroking across her skin, lovingly, trying to soothe away some of the annoyance she caused.

 

"I don't want to have a baby shower." Regina's shoulder lifted slightly, as though shrugging the statement off as no consequence. 

 

"It's this afternoon. At our house. I don't think we can back out now." Emma took a deep breath, steadying herself so that she could get to the real problem. "Is this about Snow?" 

 

"No. Not everything is about _your_ mother. This is about Henry." 

 

Emma watched Regina's hands, twisting around her coffee cup, an external sign of her inner conflict of the subject. "We talked about this already. Henry is fine." Regina gave her an incredulous look and scoffed at the statement. 

 

"Did you hear him when he left this morning? "Bye Emma. Have fun at the baby shower." You could practically hear the "because you didn't get to have one when you had me" tapped onto the end." 

 

"Regina. That is _not_ what he meant. I think what he meant was "Sorry you don't get to go play poker with all the boys at Frederick's house and you have to stay here and play stupid girly games." Emma shook her head slightly, still not fully comprehending how much Regina's view of this morning's conversation with Henry could be so far from what she'd experienced. 

 

"There will _not_ be games. I specifically told Snow that. No games." Her finger tapped the table twice to add emphasis to her statement. 

 

"Henry was making fun of me okay? Just like he has been for the last few days when you weren't around. Besides, don't you think that us giving him a car today will sort of make up for any weird teenager feelings he might have? That's why we're doing it remember? To make the day about him too? "

 

"It feels like a bribe." Regina pouted uncharacteristically. 

 

"It is a bribe. I think that's just what you do with teenagers…"

 

Regina sighed dramatically and rubbed at a spot on the table, seemingly contemplating whether or not she could let this go. "I still don't understand why you had to buy him such an old car though, not a newer, safer one." She looked up at Emma again, one eyebrow arched, daring her spouse to contradict her. 

 

Emma knew what game they were playing and she happily danced the conversation away from the heavier subject. "It's called a classic, not old. Besides, it's kind of like a family tradition. We both drive classics." She said, waving her arm between the two of them. 

 

"I drive a classic. You just drive an old car." 

 

"Call my car what you want, but you cannot under any circumstances call a '69 Chevelle just an old car." 

 

"Fine. What time do we go pick it up?" Regina asked, her earlier hesitation all but gone. 

 

"1:30. Which will leave just enough time before the shower for Snow to set up while you're not here supervising." 

 

"Perfect, then there's plenty of time for you to take me upstairs and make it up to me." Regina smirked and started the process of getting up from the table. 

 

"Make what up to you?" Emma asked, genuinely confused. She thought she'd handled that pretty well. She stood and held her arm out for Regina, pulling the woman out of the chair with ease. 

 

"Does it matter?" Regina winked over her shoulder and with more grace then someone 7 months pregnant with twins should have, started to make her way up the stairs, curling her finger at Emma to follow. 

 

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They were late. As it turned out, Emma had several things to make up for that morning and they'd gotten a late start to go pick up the car. Which delayed them further because they'd met Snow coming in on their way out and Regina had to make some final _suggestions_ before they could leave. 

 

So now they were late. To their own baby shower. At their own house. 

 

Something that Regina probably was not going to let go of and somehow blame her for, despite the fact that Regina had been the one to demand a longer test drive. She said it was for safety reasons, but Emma knew that her wife was just enjoying being behind the wheel of something so powerful. When the paperwork was signed and the title was in her hands Emma had tossed her the keys again and let her drive home Henry's new toy as she followed along in the Mercedes. 

 

Emma pulled into the driveway and jumped out quickly, jogging down the path to the street. Regina expertly parallel parked and Emma was there to open the car door for her, grabbing the keys from Regina's hand and stuffing them into her pocket. 

 

Regina let herself be hoisted out of the bucket seat and with a curt nod she said, "I suppose that Henry will enjoy it." Earning her a laugh from the blonde. 

 

"I'm glad you approve. Sorry we're late to the shower though…" Emma trailed off, hoping that Regina wasn't too upset by the day's progression. 

 

"Oh, no. I planned it this way. You know how I like to make an entrance…Wait until you see your mother's face." Not giving Emma any time to protest, she opened the front door and swept into the house. A hush fell over the attendees gathered in the dining room area and Regina locked eyes with Snow. "Sorry I'm late." She'd dropped her voice a level and growled out the words, much like the day she burst into Snow and Charming's wedding so long ago. 

 

Snow's face clouded with anger and just as it looked like Regina was going to get the blow up she was angling for Emma trailed up behind Regina. "Yeah, sorry we're late. Traffic, you know…" Emma stopped and took in the faces around her and then ping-ponged between Snow and Regina. "What'd I miss?" 

 

Snow sighed loudly. "I think Regina was trying to be funny. She wasn't." 

 

Emma frowned a little, still not quite understanding what was going on around her. "Okay, whatever. Where's the cupcakes? I've been waiting all day for one…or two…" She trailed off as she left the room in search of food and Regina just smirked at Snow, before turning and following, offering up a belated "I'll help you find them Emma." She shot another glance at Snow over her shoulder, the woman's eyes just narrowing at her in response. 

 

As Ruby watched the scene unfold, her fingernails dug into her palms trying to stop the laughter from erupting, she couldn't help but see Regina really was just teasing poor Snow. Once the woman had made her equally dramatic exit, Ruby made her way over to Snow. "You have to admit that was a little funny…I mean come on…" Ruby waited to see if Snow was going to find the humor in the moment and when she saw her friend's eyes dance a little she let out the breath she was holding. 

 

"She always did know how to make an entrance." Snow said, shaking her head at Regina's antics. "At least she didn't do the whole speech…" 

 

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The party proceeded flawlessly after that, that is until the very end. Presents had been opened and with a few exceptions they got mostly what they'd registered for. Belle and Ruby gave them an entire set of Dr. Suess books, a note inscribed in the card assuring Regina that they were, in fact, complete works of fiction and were in no way based on anything other than imagination. Everyone got a good laugh when Regina opened Ariel's gift, a set of baby forks with rubber tips. The laughter only growing when Emma inquired about them and Ariel off handedly informed her that she'd once "Forked Regina."  

 

As the party started to wind down, Snow announced that she had one more thing planned and as she darted out of the room to grab the surprise. Katherine and Regina shared an epic eye roll. They'd been made Queen's for the Day and were currently sitting in the "thrones" Snow had set up for them when they started to open presents. She had to actually give the woman some credit, it had been a very good shower and she'd managed to make both mothers-to-be feel like the center of attention.  

 

Things went downhill though when Snow bounded back into the room, her arms full of an assortment of supplies and announced they were going to be playing a game. 

 

"No games. I was perfectly clear about that." Regina said, the anger evident in her voice. 

 

"But I thought, maybe….just one." Snow answered. Her chin belatedly jutting out in defiance. 

 

"I said no games." Regina repeated through clenched teeth and just like that Snow disappeared, a cloud of yellow smoke swirling her away. 

 

Emma screeched out a loud, "Regina!" When she realized what had happened. 

 

"What? I didn't do it! The kids did." Regina shot back. 

 

Katherine was the first to break, her laughter ringing out in the otherwise silent living room. Ruby joined in and before long the entire group was doubled over with them. 

 

When the laughter died down Katherine was the first to speak up. "I'm not really sure what just happened, but I can assure you this baby shower will never be topped." 

 

Regina smiled at her and rubbed Emma's leg in comfort. "Yes, well I do believe that's the end of things everyone. The Sheriff here has a few phone calls to make and a mother to track down. Thank you all so much for coming." She said graciously, as though her mother-in-law hadn't just disappeared before their very eyes. 

 

"I'm gonna….I'll go call David…" Emma mumbled as she left the room, filing out behind the other guests making their way to the exit. 

 

"So the kids learned a new trick huh?" Katherine said once they were alone, a smile still playing across her face. 

 

"I guess so. They are really quite advanced for their age." Regina replied, her voice filled with humor. 

 

"Mmhhmm…Do you mind if I have another Momtini? I'd like to see how long it takes David to come running in here promising to find her. She really did plan a great shower for us…you know up until that last part." Katherine said, snagging another baby bottle filled with something resembling raspberry lemonade. 

 

"You would think that after all these years she'd learn to just listen to me…" Regina trailed off when Emma came back into the room. 

 

"She's at home. She thought you did it at first and was pretty pissed, but she instantly went all sweet and kind once I told her that her grandchildren just learned a new trick and she should be glad they have such good GPS already." Emma sat down on the couch and reached for another cupcake, only to have her hand slapped away by Regina. 

 

"That's surprisingly anti-climatic. I guess that I'll just make my way home then, Regina. Is it ok if I send Frederick by to pick all this up? I don't want to carry it all…" She gestured to her pile of presents, stacked neatly by the lazy boy that had been her throne for the day. 

 

"Yes, that's fine." Regina struggled to get up out of her chair, only succeeding when Emma slipped a hand under her ass and gave her the leverage she needed. She looped her arm through Katherine's and led her to the door. "Thanks again for being here today Katherine. I appreciate it." 

 

"I bet you did. I'll see you guys later." With a wave she made her way down the sidewalk to the street and was all most barreled over by Henry. 

 

"Oops, sorry." He said as he passed by. "Is the party over?" He asked, when he reached his mom's in the doorway. 

 

"Yeah, Katherine was the last to leave." Emma said, sparing a glance at Regina, winking inconspicuously. 

 

"Who's car is that in the street then? I don't recognize it." Turning his back to the two women to look at the car again, he missed the look of excitement pass between them. 

 

"I don't know. We better check it out." Emma said, giving him a little shove back down the sidewalk. She reached out and laced her fingers with Regina's and they made their way towards the seemingly abandoned car. "See if it's unlocked. Maybe there's something in the glove box with their name on it." 

 

Henry nodded his head in agreement and checked the passenger door, finding it unlocked. He slipped into the passenger's seat and popped open the glove compartment. Inside he found a white envelope with his name printed on it, a red bow on the corner. Curiously, he glanced at his two moms before picking up the envelope and opening it. He scanned the card, his eyes not believing the words he was reading. "This is mine?" His voice cracking just a little. 

 

Emma fumbled with something in her pocket and then pulled out a key, a purple rabbits foot dangling off it. "Oh, look what I found…" She tossed the key to him and was surprised when he caught it and scrambled out of the car, wrapping both his mother's in a hug. 

 

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!! It's seriously mine?" He asked again, still not totally believing his luck. 

 

"All yours kid. That is if you'll let your mom drive it once in awhile…" She pointed a thumb at Regina, who smiled at him lovingly, tears rolling down her face. 

 

"Thanks guys. I can't believe you got this for me." He turned back to stare at the cherry red muscle car. "I thought I was just going to get one of your cars when you got a new one." 

 

"Why would we get a new car?" Emma asked, her eyebrows scrunching together in confusion. 

 

Henry looked at both their faces, neither one realizing what he was talking about. "Because you both drive cars with very tiny backseats. There's no way you're going to fit two car seats into either one of them. I'm not even sure how mom got my car seat to fit in the back of hers when I was little…" He trailed off, his attention going back to his new toy. He climbed into the drivers seat and started to play with everything inside the car.  

 

Emma chewed her lip in contemplation, and watched as the realization hit Regina at the same time. "How did you fit a car seat back there?" 

 

"No comment." 

 

When Emma's only response was to continue to stare at her spouse she relented. "I didn't. I simply walked everywhere I could with him and when I absolutely had to go somewhere…I made Graham drive us. I simply installed the car seat in the Sheriff's car." 

 

"You just used the Sheriff's car?" 

 

Regina nodded her head once. "It wasn't like he was ever hauling around criminals in the back of it and I couldn't buy a new car. Do you see a used car lot here in town?" She added defensively. 

 

Emma frowned a little, mulling the idea over in her head. "It's a good idea…But it's not exactly something we can do this time…I mean people remember stuff now…" Their attention went back to their son, who was in the middle of _pretending_ to drive his new car. Emma smiled at the picture, imagining what he might have looked like playing with cars when he was little. She walked up to the car and leaned in the passenger's window. 

 

"You know you can actually take it for a real drive. Just be back by your curfew." Emma patted the window once and backed up from the car. 

 

Henry's face telegraphed his pure joy when he started the engine for the first time and he yelled out a muffled love you guys as he tore off down the street. Regina watched, her head shaking at his dramatics, realizing, not for the first time where he got them from. 

 

"I guess we need to add car shopping to the list of things we have to get done before they get here." Emma's finger pointing to Regina's belly. 

 

"I guess so…" She said as she turned and tugged Emma back towards the house. 

 

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Chapter 17

 

"Ruby, I need apple pancakes. Now." Emma said, dragging herself onto one of the stools at the counter. 

 

"To go?" Ruby clarified. "And it's three in the afternoon…"

 

"I need them. To eat. Now." Emma said, pointing to her chest for emphasis. "I mean I think I need them…it might be a Regina craving…hard to tell these days…" 

 

Ruby just studied her friend, not sure what to make of the blonde at the moment. She laughed as Emma laid her head down on the counter and mumbled something about just needing a little rest. She scribbled Emma's order down on her scratch pad, slid it in the diner's window, and went to check on her other customers giving her the time she needed to sleep a little. A quick 15 minutes later she was sliding the pancakes down in front of the blonde, the clatter of the plate waking her up suddenly. 

 

"Shit, that scared me." Emma rubbed at her eyes, trying to get herself fully functional again. 

 

Ruby just smiled at her and shrugged her shoulder a little, not sorry one bit she'd scared her a little. "Not sleeping much? The babies aren't even here yet."

 

"Eh," Emma shoved a big bite of pancake in her mouth and had to pause her answer to chew. "Regina has to get up a lot at night…you know to pee…so when she wakes up, I wake up because I assume the babies are coming and then I panic and then she says she's just going to the bathroom and then I can't go back to sleep and then when I finally do it happens all over again." 

 

"Wow…I really didn't need to hear about Regina peeing..." 

 

"Shut up. These are delicious by the way. Regina, the babies, and my stomach all thank you. Sharing these damn craving lately is getting old. And I love to eat." 

 

"Only like a month left though, right?" Ruby asked, as she wiped down the counter. 

 

"Maybe…it's twins so really they could come any time. I mean she's kinda huge right now so…" Emma looked up at Ruby when she noticed her staring over her shoulder and judging from the look on her face, she was about to get in trouble. 

 

"So I'm huge? That's how you're describing the mother of your unborn children to your friends?" Regina said testily. Without letting Emma respond she turned her glare towards Ruby. "I need apple pancakes. Now." She pivoted away from the counter and made her way to one of the tables, the booths no longer offering enough room for her to slide in. 

 

"Rubes…we have got to get like a signal or something when she walks in. Why do you always let me say stupid stuff in front of her?" She sighed loudly and hung her head for a moment, before moving from the counter to join her wife. She wasn't really expecting an answer and when she heard Ruby just laugh she shook her head and vowed revenge silently in her head. 

 

"Look…" Emma started as she took a seat across from the fuming brunette. 

 

"I don't want to hear it. I just want my pancakes in peace." Regina cut her off. 

 

"I know _your_ not huge, it's just the babies...I love you?" Emma tried to plea her case. 

 

"Is that a question or are you telling me?" Regina narrowed her eyes at the blonde. She was trying to stay mad, but at the moment she just wanted to snuggle up into the woman's arms. Damn the hormones for not even letting her hold a grudge properly. 

 

"I'm telling you. And I know for a fact that you tell Katherine on a regular basis that I'm an idiot so I'm not sure you can really be mad at me…" Emma smiled, knowing she'd won Regina over. 

 

"That's different. That's a hereditary condition." Regina gave a small nod of thanks when Ruby slid a plate full of pancakes down in front of her. "Ruby?" She called out as the brunette retreated. 

 

"Yes?" The waitress responded timidly. 

 

"There will not be any signaling. If the Sheriff is going to continue to stick her foot in her mouth in my presence then she will have to deal with the consequences." 

 

"Got it." Ruby cut off any further discussion by turning and making her way to the back room. 

 

Emma was spared any more lecturing as Regina made quick work of the plate of food in front of her. When Regina's phone rang and she answered it as pleasantly as possible, Emma only rolled her eyes at the ploy. Her playful demeanor flew out the window when she noticed Regina's frantic look. 

 

"We'll be right there. No, Emma's with me so it won't take long. Just hold on." Regina quickly hit the end button on her phone and started to get up from the table. "We have to get to Katherine's. Her water broke and she can't get ahold of Frederick." She took Emma's outstretched hand and pulled herself up from the chair, not wasting any time. 

 

Emma dug a few bills out of her pocket and threw them on the table, hoping Ruby wouldn't get too concerned about their disappearing act. 

 

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Luckily, Emma had driven the cruiser to the diner and she hit the lights and sirens on the way to Katherine's. She screeched into the driveway and told Regina to stay put, she'd be back with Katherine in just a minute. She found the front door unlocked and when she burst into the living room a startled Katherine screamed. 

 

"What the hell? I have a doorbell!" Katherine motioned for Emma to come closer, the couch fighting against her attempt at standing. She gladly pulled on Emma's arm and was thankful that at least one spouse in town knew how to read a pregnant woman's mind. 

 

"Sorry…I kinda thought this was..like an emergency situation…" Emma responded. 

 

"My water broke, I've still got like 10 hours or more before this little person gets here. I just needed a ride." Katherine went to grab her bag waiting by the front door, but Emma whisked it up before she could. 

 

"Well, somebody didn't mention that to me. Let's get you in the cruiser." Emma helped get the woman tucked into the back seat and then hopped back in the drivers seat. "Hospital? Or would you two like to do some shopping first?" The sarcasm dripped from her tone. 

 

Regina's eyes flicked to the rearview mirror, looking at Katherine questionably. The pregnant woman chuckled a little and said the hospital was just fine. 

 

Emma received a pat on the leg for her efforts as she pulled out of the driveway towards the hospital.  

 

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Frederick was pacing frantically in the ER when they arrived. Katherine breathed a sigh of relief and told him if they ever did this again she would prefer he picked her up first before heading to the hospital. Once she was settled in her room Regina offered to stay with her until the baby was born, but she declined--telling Regina that she needed to be at home, preferably with her feet up, resting and told her to come by in the morning and hold the baby. 

 

Regina reluctantly let Emma take her home after a few more attempts at sticking around. She finally relented when Emma told her she probably didn't want to see any of the labor anyway, making it clear it would only scare her about her own impending labor. Once home she was ordered to go and put her feet up, her ankles--or cankles as Henry called them--were getting bigger by the day, and Emma made them dinner. 

 

The next morning a text from Frederick informed them that Katherine was still in labor and if she didn't deliver by noon they would be getting a C-section done. Emma decided to go ahead and go into the station to get some paperwork done and left a pouting wife behind with the promise she'd be home early. 

 

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Around lunch time Emma still hadn't heard anything from Regina about Katherine so she pushed her stack of paper work away and decided to walk to the diner to stretch her legs. 

 

She took her usual spot at the counter and didn't bother picking up a menu. She was going to have a burger and fries since she was unsupervised and wasn't suffering from any cravings at the moment. When Ruby finally poked her head out of the back, she rolled her eyes at the dramatic scan of the diner Ruby did before coming over. 

 

"Really?" Emma asked, her facing showing no humor in the woman's antics.

 

"Hey, just checking to see if your wife's lurking around somewhere. For an 8-month pregnant lady she sure is stealthy." Ruby pulled out her scratch pad and looked at Emma in expectation. 

 

"Yeah, she still sneaks up on me at home too and I can't figure out how. She hasn't been doing magic at all because it seems to teach the babies new tricks whenever she does…I just want a burger and fries." Emma trailed off, realizing the diner was busy with the lunch time rush and Ruby probably didn't have too much chitchat time. 

 

Ruby smiled gratefully and with a quick "I'll be back." She was off to check on her other diners.

 

Emma picked up her phone when it buzzed immediately after Ruby walked away and she wondered to herself if Regina somehow knew she was talking about her when her name flashed on the caller ID. 

 

"Hello, your problem is my job security." Emma answered, knowing she'd get a rise out of Regina. 

 

"My water just broke." 

 

"HA, HA. Very funny. I'm not falling for that two days in a row. Do you want something from the diner?" Emma asked, unimpressed with her wife's sense of humor. 

 

"MY WATER BROKE! Get home now or I'll…I don't know but it will be bad for you!" 

 

Emma glanced at her phone to see if the call had been disconnected and when she realized it had been she frowned and set it down, her mind not comprehending the call. 

 

"What was that about?" Ruby asked, when she noticed Emma's glazed look.

 

"Regina just said her water broke." Emma remained in her seat, repeating the words Regina had used, but still not fully comprehending them. 

 

"EMMA! You have to go!! Like now--she needs to get to the hospital. Your babies are coming!" Ruby leaned over the counter and slapped her hand against the side of Emma's head, hoping to knock some sense into her. 

 

Wide eyes looked back at her, the situation finally soaking in. "Shit…shit, shit, shit! I have to go…" Emma ran for the door, cursing herself for walking from the station and started to sprint up the street. She jumped in the police cruiser, only to realize the keys were still inside and she hopped back out again, racing to get them. She grabbed the keys to the bug instead, thinking she may not be able to bring the cruiser back any time soon. It took three tries for the bug to start up and she was cursing the gods the entire time. 

 

She sped off, hoping that there wouldn't be any traffic and then she realized it was Storybrook so that probably wasn't going to be an issue. When she finally pulled into the driveway, she left the car running--not trusting it to start again. She ran up the sidewalk and into the house, finding Regina calmly pacing in the hallway, rubbing her belly. 

 

"Are you having contractions?" Emma asked, full panic setting in. 

 

Regina only hummed a noncommittal response and Emma guided her out the front door, one hand on her back. 

 

"I'm not going in that thing!" Regina huffed, once they were outside and she realized Emma had left the car running. 

 

"I'm not sure that you're in any place to argue with me woman…get in the car." Emma opened the passenger's door and covering Regina's head with her hand, protecting it from hitting the top. 

 

"And I'm not a common criminal, you don't have to manhandle me." Regina added once Emma was back in the drivers seat. 

 

Emma just rolled her eyes and focused on getting them to the hospital safely, her hand never leaving Regina's. She breathed a sigh of relief when they finally pulled up in front of the hospital, parking in one of the ambulance bays by the door. 

 

Emma turned to tell Regina to stay in the car while she grabbed a wheel chair and she noticed Regina was holding something in her hand. "What's that?" 

 

Regina looked over at her wife and rolled her eyes. "It's a stop watch. And you just failed miserably. It took you over 38 minutes to get me here AND you forgot to grab my hospital bag we have sitting by the door." 

 

Emma just stared at her wife. "You aren't in labor?" 

 

"No."

 

Thunk.

 

Thunk. Thunk.

 

Emma was banging her head on the steering wheel until a hand reached out and stopped her. "Regina...Seriously?" 

 

"What? I wanted to come see Katherine. They had a little baby boy." Regina shrugged her shoulder a little and Emma knew she couldn't stay mad at the woman. "I thought it would be good practice for you…" 

 

"You're ridiculous. You know that right?" Emma said, smiling at her wife. Her heart had slowed to an acceptable rate and she was no longer in panic mode. 

 

"No, I'm just a planner. You'll be thanking me for this later." Regina said smugly. 

 

"Yeah, yeah. You might as well get out here. I'll go park and we'll go see the baby." Emma was still shaking her head as she pulled away from the ER doors. 

 

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CHAPTER 18

 

It didn't take long for Emma to park the car and when she made it to Katherine's room the nurse was placing the baby in Regina's arms. Katherine was smiling from ear to ear, she looked tired, but glowing. Frederick was in a chair pulled up close to the bed watching his son's every movement. As Regina leaned back and cradled the baby, Emma took a moment to take in the picture from the doorway before anyone noticed her. She was smiling down at his face, his eyes closed and she placed the smallest kisses on his forehead. The baby looked so small in her arms, smaller than Emma could even imagine. She wondered if Henry looked that small when he was born, regretting for an instant she'd never laid eyes on him. She had made a conscious effort since she gave him up to avoid newborns ever sense. 

 

Regina cooed at the baby a little more and looked up when she noticed the figure lurking in the doorway. "You can come in you know…" She said, smiling at her wife. She looked scared to death to enter the room. 

 

"It looks pretty crowded in there. Maybe I should just go wait in the car?" Emma hesitated. The room was starting to feel like it was closing in around her. 

 

"Oh, please. Get in here and hold my baby. His name is Carter. Isn't he beautiful?" Katherine said, from her spot on the bed. 

 

"I'm good, really. I don't need to hold him. Regina's doing a fine job of it." Emma stepped a little further into the room, hoping that the smile on her face was enough to mask the panic she was starting to feel. Regina glanced at her curiously and with a small shake of her head, Emma brushed off the unasked question. 

 

"Sheriff, are you scared to hold a baby?" Katherine asked, her voice teasing. "You better get a little practice in now. You're going to have two pretty soon and that means one for each of you, all the time." 

 

Regina laughed and waved Emma a little closer to her. "She's right you know. Here take him." Regina held him out towards Emma and waited. She could see the fear in Emma's eyes and knew that her wife was seconds from bolting. She breathed a sigh of relief when Emma finally, gently took him out of her arms. 

 

Emma cradled his head, holding him tightly against her body. She looked down at his tiny features and then up at Regina, her eyes wide with an array of emotions. He started to fuss a little and Regina saw the panic set in instantly. Emma's back went rigid and when Carter started to cry, Emma handed him back over to Regina as quickly as she could, exiting out the door before Regina could even call out to her. 

 

"What just happened?" Katherine asked.

 

Regina sighed loudly and leaned down to kiss Carter's forehead again. He settled down and she gave him another smile before answering Katherine. "Well, if I were to guess, that was the freak out I've been waiting 8 months for. Trust Emma to wait until I can barely chase her down." 

 

"Frederick, get the baby from Regina so she can go after her wife." 

 

He obliged and once he was safely snuggled back in his mother's arms, he turned and helped Regina up out of the chair she was in. 

 

"Thank you, Frederick." She made her way to the bed and kissed the top of Katherine's head. When she got a wide eyed look from her friend, she simply shrugged. "What? So these babies have made me a little soft around the edges. He's beautiful, Katherine. You do good work." She smiled at her friend, patting her hand once more before turning and heading out. "You too I guess, Frederick." 

 

Once Regina was out of sight, Frederick finally spoke up. "Did our hard-ass mayor just kiss you on the head?" 

 

Katherine laughed at the statement, just as floored by the show of affection as he was. "I don't think that it's just the babies making her a little soft around the edges. Emma's good for her. I hope she doesn't freak out too bad and make it hard on Regina." 

 

"Something tells me Regina has her number and she won't let it last too long." Frederick said, wisely. 

 

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By the time Regina made it down to the lobby, she saw the yellow bug waiting outside the front doors for her. When she opened the car door to get in, Emma jumped a little at the intrusion. She settled herself into the passenger's seat and waited. If Emma was going to talk about this, she was going to have to be the one to start. 

 

"I'm sorry." Emma finally said quietly. 

 

"You mean for throwing a baby at me and running out of the hospital like you were on fire?" Regina said, knowing exactly how to pull Emma out of her funk. 

 

"I didn't throw him at you. I just….yeah, okay I kinda threw him at you. Sorry." Emma mumbled again. 

 

"I'd like to put my feet up, so why don't we continue this when we get home. That will give you a few more minutes of freak out time, but believe me, it's stopping the second we get home." Regina gave her signature eye brow raise, the look that dared her to argue. 

 

"Yes ma'am." Emma said, a small smile already playing at her lips. 

 

Within minutes they were pulling into their driveway and Emma got out of the car quickly, making her way to the passenger's side to help Regina out. They made their way inside slowly and settled on the couch in Regina's office. Regina put her feet up on the coffee table immediately and Emma slumped down beside her. 

 

After a few minutes Regina finally broke the silence. "Do you want the nice, sweet speech or do you need the hard-ass version?"

 

"Huh?" Emma said, not following her wife's segue. 

 

"To help you through this. I've been waiting for this since we first found out. I assumed at some point you'd have a little freak out. You've lasted much longer than I thought you would though…" Regina trailed off, smiling at her wife, hoping to show she wasn't upset with her for running out. 

 

Emma switched positions, moving herself to the coffee table and she took one of Regina's feet her in her hands, digging her thumbs into her arches. The receptive motion keeping her from focusing on her panic too much. "I don't think I'm going to be very good at this." She said, keeping her eyes focused on Regina's feet, so she wouldn't have to see the look in Regina's eyes. 

 

"Emma, darling, I love you. One of the things I love most about you is your ability to jump headlong into things and make it work. Did you know how to fight a dragon? No. You made it work. That's how it is with parenting. You make it work." She glanced at Emma to make sure she had her full attention before she continued. "You had instincts with Henry and you're going to have instincts with these babies too. You aren't the same person that gave up Henry and you won't be doing this alone. You'll have me right there with you the whole time. And we're also getting a nanny…" She trailed off when Emma hit a particularly good spot on her foot and she moaned appreciatively. 

 

"A nanny? For real?" Emma asked, surprised.

 

"We both have full time jobs and there's going to be two babies…I may be good but it just seems ludicrous not to get some help. Besides, I don't think I'll be able to just take them to the office with me everyday like I did Henry. Since people remember things now it might be frowned upon."

 

"Is Mary Poppins a real person? We could get her." 

 

"Sadly, she's not. I took an ad out in the paper for applicants. We'll have to start doing interviews soon."

 

"Was that the nice speech or the hard-ass speech?" Emma said, the tension she had been feeling finally lifting. 

 

"A little of both. Did it work?" Regina closed her eyes and laid her head back on the couch, fully enjoying the foot rub. 

 

"Yes."

 

"That's….good…" Regina gritted out. She took a few deep breaths, rubbing her hands over her belly, her face grimacing. "Because I think I'm having contractions…" 

 

"Is this another drill?" Emma asked, her voice squeaking. Regina's look silenced her quickly. "Not a drill. Got it. Let's get your shoes back on so we can go…good thing I already practiced this today." The comment earned her a swift kick to the shins and another glare. 

 

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By the time they arrived back at the hospital, the contractions had subsided. "I think it was a false alarm. Let's just go home." Regina said, knowing that if Dr. Whale checked her out he was going to say something she didn't like. She'd read plenty about birthing twins and she knew her days were numbered before she would be put on bed rest.

 

"Oh no. No, no, no. We are having them check you out. Something's going on even if its not the babies time yet. Besides, we're already in a room. It's not going to take long." Emma said, the concern still written all over her face. 

 

"Time's not really my concern here…" Regina started, her sentence cut off by a loud knock on the door. Dr. Whale's head popped in the room and he was waved in by Emma. 

 

"The nurse said you're having contractions?" Dr Whale asked, already donning gloves for an exam. 

 

"Was. They've subsided now, so we can probably just be on our way." Regina said, her need to call the shots not limited to the Mayor's office. 

 

"Braxton-Hicks contractions are quite common, but I still need to examine you and the babies before I can release you." Dr. Whale rolled is stool over to the end of the bed, where Regina's feet were already in the stirrups. He lifted the paper sheet covering her legs and after a quit cursory look, he pushed back, snapping the gloves off. "Everything looks good down here. You aren't dilated yet so I think its safe to assume it was a false alarm. I want to hook you up to some monitors for a little while to check the babies heartbeats and then you'll be free to go. Emma, can you follow me out?" 

 

Emma shot Regina a confused look and when she surprisingly didn't get any refutal at the request, she agree with a single nod of her head and followed him out. Once they were safely in the hallway with the door firmly shut behind him he spoke again. "She's going to have to go on bed rest the next few weeks, until she goes into labor." He looked at Emma expectantly.

 

"Oookayy…" She hedged. When he only continued to look at her, looking more pitiful by the second, it dawned on her. "You're too scared to tell her." She said, crossing her arms and rocking back on her heels a little. 

 

"It's probably best if she heard it from you." 

 

"You're a chickenshit." 

 

"Like I said, it's probably best if she heard it from you. I can provide you with some pamphlets to explain the reasoning…" He said, looking hopefully towards the blonde. 

 

"I'm going to remember this." Emma poked one finger in his chest for emphasis and spun on her heels to head back in the room, laughing a little at how quickly he was trying to get down the hallway and away from their exam room. He really was a chickenshit. She opened the door softly, so she didn't startle Regina and made her way back into the room. 

 

One look at Emma's face and Regina knew what her fate was. Before her wife could even open her mouth to explain she said, "I'm on bed rest aren't I?"

 

Regina saw the sigh of relief Emma let out and was grateful when she closed the gap between them quickly. Emma sat on the abandoned stool and slid as close to the bed as she could get, taking one of Regina's hands in hers. "Yeah…But we made it this far…a few weeks won't be so bad." Emma shrugged off the look Regina shot her and quickly amended her statement. "It won't be too terrible?" When Regina continued to only stare at her, she deflated. "It's going to be torture for me isn't it?" 

 

"Mmmm…more than likely. Torture is one of my favorite past times..." The glint in Regina's eye told her everything she needed to know. 

 

"Great." 

 

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CHAPTER 19

 

"Okay, so I've got Granny headed over here at 9:00. You've got books, food, water…do you need a bell, Princess?" Emma smiled at her wife, knowing she was poking the bear. A bear that luckily couldn't come after her. 

 

"It's Queen to you. And I don't need a bell because I can do this…" Regina smiled evilly at her wife. 

 

"Aaarghh…What the hell Regina?" Emma rubbed at her ears, the sound of church bells echoing in her head. 

 

"I'll ring if I need you." Regina smoothed the bedspread next to her, the motion making her look as innocent as possible in the moment. 

 

Emma shook her head at her wife's antics. She'd only been confined to her bed for 12 hours and it was already going down hill. Emma had quickly figured out that a bored Regina was absolutely no fun--for her. "I'm changing the subject, because this is clearly amusing you to much. How exactly did you get Granny to agree to being interim-mayor anyway?"

 

"We discussed it like any business minded people would. I told her she was my only choice and she agreed. She wants to see if Ruby can handle running the diner by herself because she's looking at retiring. We both win." 

 

"Why was she your only choice? I bet my mom would have…never mind. I can see the problems with that…"

 

Regina laughed, a welcome sight for Emma. "Yes, well I believe that Eugenia is more equipped to handle the day to day business of running the town then even your mother. She's had over 30 years experience running the diner and surprisingly running a town isn't much different. Besides, because she is looking to retire I don't have to worry about her trying to keep the position once I'm ready to return." 

 

"Those are all very valid and logical reasons. You're positive that it didn't have anything to do with wanting to see her face off against the council?" Emma added a smirk, knowing full well any time Regina decided something there were multiple layers to it. 

 

"Perhaps. A girl has to have a little fun. Now don't you have to get to work? You need to make sure the station is ready for you to be on maternity leave as well." Regina smiled indulgently at Emma, wanting her to be able to leave and not worry about her all day. 

 

"Yeah, I'm going. It's funny--if that whole same-sex maternity leave thing hadn't been signed into law a few years ago I would have said you did it just for us…" Emma baited, hoping Regina would tell her if she had this exact thing in mind when she did it. 

 

"Are you asking if I had the foresight to sign in a law 3 years ago knowing we would be having magical babies together at some point? That would have been awfully presumptuous of me." 

 

"Well, we all know you plan for the long game Regina Swan-Mills. I love you and I will see you later." Emma kissed her wife thoroughly, missing her before she even walked out the door. Her non-admission to the law's roots was as much of an admission as Emma was going to get. Something about Regina thinking this had been a possibility for a lot longer than the reality had been in play gave her a very warm, loving feeling in the bottom of her stomach and the twinkle in Regina's eye meant she felt it too. 

 

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"Damn it Regina!" Emma stomped her foot, fists clenched at her sides, as the purple smoke cleared. "I told you, you couldn't just poof me home whenever you wanted. I was in the middle of something." 

 

Unamused with Emma's antics, Regina simply pointed to the mirror above their dresser. There was a perfect view of Emma sitting in her office chair, legs resting on top of her desk and one hand covering her left eye. 

 

"Okay, okay. We don't have to watch this…" Emma said, suddenly much more contrite.

 

"Oh, but I'd like to see if you make the basket…" Regina said, smirking. 

 

"Well, I didn't so it doesn't matter…I was just taking a little break…" Emma made her way over to the bed and sat down beside her wife. "I thought I got all the mirrors out of my office…" She mumbled under her breath to herself. 

 

"Shoes off the bed." 

 

Emma rolled her eyes at her wife and leaned down to her belly. "Can you guys hurry up please? Your mom is driving me insane…" She whispered. The slap to the back of her head cut off any more conversation with the babies. Leaning back up she gave her wife a quick peck on the lips, smiling widely. "So why'd you poof me home?"

 

Regina handed Emma a stack of papers. "I need you to take this to your mother and explain to her that just because she's the grandmother it doesn't mean she can just circumvent the interview process. If she's still interested in the job she needs to complete this and bring it by tomorrow morning." 

 

Emma took the sheets of paper and flipped through them, glancing at the questions. "Regina, you can't ask her if she's ever killed anyone's mother." 

 

"I can. It's a valid question. Besides, I'm not just asking your mother. I'm asking all the applicants. It's not my fault she has a habit of offing people's mothers." 

 

"She's the only one who even wants to be our nanny, Regina. So you kind of are just asking her." 

 

Regina ripped the papers out of Emma's hands and scowled at her wife. "Fine, I'll just poof myself over there and explain things to her if you're going to be so soft."

 

Emma grabbed the papers back from Regina and huffed. "You know you can't go over there. I'll do it, but I'm not telling her she has to answer _all_ of this." Emma waved the stack of papers for emphasis.

 

" _All_ of this is important. We're talking about the person who we will be trusting with our children's well being."

 

"Fine. Anything else you need while I'm out?" Emma asked, getting up from the bed. 

 

"No, I think you've set me up quite well already, dear." Regina smiled at her wife, all irritation gone from her expression. 

 

Emma knew that she couldn't be irritated with Regina for too long. She was only trying to make sure Snow knew her place before she started watching the kids. And if that meant surviving a terrifying interview process then so be it. They were both on edge and anxious for the twins to come and the sooner the better. "Alright, I love you." She leaned down and gave her wife another kiss before she left. 

 

"Love you too." Regina called after her, a hint of amusement coloring her tone. Tomorrow would at least be entertaining. She couldn't wait to grill her mother-in-law.

 

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"Regina?" Snow knocked lightly on the bedroom door. Yesterday when Emma told her to bring her application back she hadn't told her what time Regina would be expecting her. 

 

"Come in." Regina said, using her Mayoral voice. She was sitting up in bed and had insisted that she put on, at the very least, a nice dress shirt this morning. Snow didn't need to know she wasn't wearing any pants under the covers.

 

Snow made her way into the bedroom, pulling a chair up close to the bed and she dropped the stack of papers down beside Regina. "Here's your questionnaire. All filled out." Snow smiled brightly at Regina. She'd had fun last night filling in each answer with as much sarcasm as possible. 

 

Regina eyed her suspiciously and picked up the stack, flipping through it to see what Snow had written. She could see immediately that Snow hadn't taken this questionnaire seriously and she was going to have fun picking her apart. "It looks to be finished. Shall we begin?" When Snow simply nodded her head Regina began. "I see here that under 'Have you ever done anything inappropriate in front a child?' you wrote: _No, are you kidding me?_ We both know that's not true." Regina eyed Snow blatantly, waiting for a response. When none came she answered for her. "You once allowed my son to witness you and Charming having relations." The word rolling off her tongue like it was leaving a bad taste in her mouth. 

 

"Oh, well that was an accident…and the curse just broke…and…" Snow stuttered. 

 

Regina cut her off before she could continue. "So it's okay to accidentally allow a child to witness that? A child I might add that had a good deal of questions for both Emma and I after that." 

 

"No it's not okay, but…" 

 

"Next question." Regina cut her off again without so much as a second glance. "It says here that you have one daughter. Could you tell me about your experience as a mother?" Regina smiled at Snow, the gesture not reaching her eyes. 

 

"I don't think that's fair to ask. It was your fault that I didn't get to raise her." Snow huffed, clearly not enjoying herself anymore. 

 

"Fair enough. How about this? If someone was attempting to kidnap my children would you shove them into a portal to the unknown without really knowing if they would be better off or try to keep them with you?" 

 

"Damn it Regina!" Snow huffed again, her arms crossing defensively. 

 

"That's a silly question. We both know the answer to that one. How about something a little easier?" Regina made a show of perusing the questionnaire before continuing. "Tell me why you believe you are qualified to watch my children." 

 

Snow smiled triumphantly. "It's right there." Snow gestured to the papers in Regina's hands.

 

Regina narrowed her eyes at Snow. "Yes, it does say here _I'm the Grandmother_. So what you're saying is that if Cora were alive she'd be just as qualified to be their nanny?" Regina gave a cutting look at Snow as she paused dramatically, as if trying to remember something. "But that's right. You killed her. Silly me." 

 

Snow took a deep breath and decided that Regina had had her fun for the day. She'd promised Emma last night to let Regina at least have her way with her for a little while and let her have some fun. Fun time was over. "Cut the crap, Regina. We both know that no one else applied for this job. Mostly because of your outrageous qualifications, which I might add included "being a queen that married a shepherd." Sounds like you might have actually tried to single everyone else out. We also both know that despite everything else between us there is no one else that you would trust with your kids more than me."

 

Regina stared at Snow thinking over her options. She had hoped that she'd get a little more entertainment out of interviewing her, but she knew she was right. There was no one else she would trust more. "Fine." 

 

"Fine." 

 

Another beat went by before Regina spoke again. "I need a favor." 

 

"Seriously?" Snow couldn't believe Regina's audacity. "What?" She asked when Regina only continued to stare at her. 

 

"I need you to get me some pants." Regina mumbled, embarrassed by her request.

 

"What?" Snow squeaked. 

 

"You already said that! Get me some fucking pants, Snow!" Regina screamed, her sudden outburst startling Snow. She took a deep breath before continuing, trying to make herself sound nicer. "Could you _please_ get me some pants. And then I'm going to need a ride to the hospital, my water just broke." 

 

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Chapter 20

 

"What?!" Snow screeched, sure that she hadn't heard Regina right. 

 

"QUIT. SAYING. THAT. WORD." Regina ground out, a contraction hitting her before she could continue. 

 

The pain evident on Regina's face instantly snapped Snow out of her stupor and she bolted to the closet, grabbing the first thing she could get her hands on. Thankfully it was something Regina wouldn't refuse to be seen in public in. She crossed back over to the bed and awkwardly held the pants out to her. "Are you going to need help? Or do I need to get some towels or something for the bed?" 

 

Regina didn't answer right away, instead continuing her slow breaths in and out to ease the pain of the passing contraction. She looked at Snow once she'd completed the exercise and finally spoke, this time much more calmly. "No towels. I have magic. And a waterproof mattress pad Emma insisted on. And no you are not helping me put my pants on. There are just some things I'm not willing to suffer through in this world. Just go stand in the hallway and call Emma. Tell her to meet us there." Regina waved her away, much like she was dismissing a servant and steeled herself to get up and get into the pair of pants she'd been offered. 

 

"Okay. Hallway. Emma. Got it." Snow backed up slowly towards the door, keeping her eye on Regina as long as possible, knowing she was going to be to blame if anything went wrong on her watch. She closed the door softly and pulled out her cell phone. Pulling up Emma's number quickly she hit the call button and waited. After 3 long rings her daughter finally picked up. 

 

"What'd she do?" Emma asked, her tone weary and a little breathless. 

 

"Nothing. I mean, well something. But nothing to me." Snow said, not knowing how to spill such big news--for the first time in her life. 

 

"Are you okay? What's going on?" Emma asked, this time much more alert. 

 

"Her water broke. And I had to get her pants. And then I think there was a contraction…" 

 

"Well that explains my stomach ache. I just thought it was a bad cheeseburger. I'll meet you guys at the hospital." Emma said, oddly calm about the situation. 

 

"Cheeseburger? It's 10:30 in the morning? You know what? Never mind. Just meet us there. We're leaving now." Snow ended the call, her eyes on Regina who'd just appeared in the hallway, dressed and looking much more regal than any pregnant woman in labor should. 

 

"I told Ruby to quit serving her before 11:30." Regina said, shaking her head as she made her way down the stairs. "We'll have to take your monstrosity. My car's in the shop." She said as she stood by the front door, overnight bag in hand. 

 

"Uh…well I walked." Snow squeezed her eyes shut, unable to brave the woman's reaction. When nothing exploded, she opened one eye, only to see Regina dangling a set of keys in her face. 

 

"You'll drive Henry's car then. He's out with friends. I don't think I have to tell you the importance of driving safely do I?" 

 

Snow eyed Regina, still waiting for the woman to start screaming or crying or showing any kind of emotion. "No, you don't. Let's go. Why are you so calm?" 

 

Regina simply smirked and offered a shrug of her shoulder. "I'm just saving up my rage for Emma, when she inevitably screws up making it to the hospital somehow and barely arrives in time to see her own children born."

 

"Of course." Snow mumbled under her breath. A prayer going up to every God she'd ever known that this be the time Emma _didn't_ screw something up. 

 

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Emma dropped her phone into her pocket when the call ended and scooped up her keys. She paused by her office door and took just a moment to squeal like a little girl and dance around a bit before calming herself again. After a deep breath she walked through the door and out of the station, all the while repeating to herself, "Don't screw this up. Don't screw this up. Don't screw this up." 

 

When she got in the bug and it started on the first try she gave the dashboard a little pat and drove off towards the hospital. She paused cautiously at every intersection, not wanting to get in an accident. Once she had pulled safely into the parking lot she put the car in park and breathed a sigh of relief. She'd done it. She was there, on time and in one piece.  

 

As she walked into the front entrance she felt invincible. Nothing was going to stop this from being the most amazing day of their lives. Then she noticed the commotion coming from the emergency room and she took off in a dead sprint down the hallway. 

 

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It only took three blocks before Regina snapped. "That's it! Park the car and get out. Get out right now. I don't care if you ride on the hood. Just get out!" 

 

Snow obliged, wondering if she had been too cautious in her driving. She got out of the driver's side and made her way around to the other side to help Regina out. Once the former Queen was hoisted out of the seat Snow quickly slid into her place so that she wasn't left behind. 

 

Regina moved the driver's seat back and took her spot behind the wheel. If Snow had been driving any slower she could have walked to the hospital faster. With a quick glance in her side mirror she pulled back onto the road and continued their journey. 

 

She realized later, that perhaps she'd been going a tad too fast. And that perhaps she should have been slightly more aware of her surroundings as she approached the hospital. But really--how could she have prevented the accident?  Dr. Whale was wearing a white coat and the hospital was painted white. It was practically camouflage and made him almost impossible to see. 

 

She'd winced at the sound of the car hitting flesh and screamed a little when Dr. Whale's face planted itself in the windshield right in front of her. As he rolled off the hood of the car another contraction hit and then everything was a blur. 

 

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Emma skidded to a halt just inside the emergency room doors and took in the scene in front of her. Her anxiety dissipating instantly once she realized that her wife was _causing_ the commotion, not the actual cause of it. She waited a few beats before stepping into the fray to figure out exactly what everyone was screaming about. 

 

"Hey!" Her shout was enough to halt the action and everyone turned in her direction. 

 

"You made it already?" Regina asked incredulously, forgetting for a moment what had her so upset moments ago. 

 

"Yeah, what's that suppose to mean?" Emma shot back, defensively. 

 

"That means I assumed this would be a repeat of our wedding and you'd only show up moments before the babies were born." Regina shrugged one shoulder, unrepentant in her statement. Even Snow had the audacity to nod her head in agreement.

 

"Thanks for the vote of confidence. Can I ask what's going on here?" Emma asked, stuffing her hands in her pockets.

 

"Oh, well I was just explaining to Dr. Whale's PA that there is no way possible he can be transferred to another hospital. He has to perform my C-section today." 

 

"Hospital?" Emma glanced past Regina and her mother and noticed Dr. Whale in one of the patient beds, his leg in a splint. "What happened to him?" 

 

Regina blanched for a moment, not willing to admit she'd been the cause of his trauma and did what any good politician would do when confronted with something she didn't want to explain. She distracted. "I think I need to sit down, I'm not feeling so well. I think another contraction might be coming on…"

 

Snow stepped forward to help Regina towards the bank of chairs across the room, but Emma wasn't going to be dissuaded so easily. "Regina."

 

With her back still to her wife Regina finally mumbled, "I hit him with the car." 

 

Emma took a minute to process what Regina had said before she just started laughing. And laughing. And laughing. It took her a good 5 minutes before she was able to calm herself down enough to ask any questions. She walked across the room and sat down next to her wife, content with allowing the hospital staff to take care of the Dr. Whale situation before admitting them. She took Regina's hand and tried, unsuccessfully, to wipe the smirk off her face. "Care to explain that a little more?" 

 

"I'm glad you find the fact that we are without a doctor to deliver our children so amusing." Regina huffed. 

 

"Please, you underestimate me. Snow? Can you get started on Plan B while I get my loving wife to explain what happened?" Emma batted her eyes, still unable to wipe the smile off her face. 

 

Snow was all to happy to get away from the current conversation and simply nodded her head and fled the room. 

 

When Emma turned her attention back to her wife she noticed the look of pain spreading across her face and she instantly sobered. "Okay, just breath. Deep breath for me, it will pass. Squeeze my hand…" Emma continued to talk Regina through the contraction and was pleased when it started to recede and she still had a fully functioning hand. "Great distraction, babe. A+ effort. Now can you tell me what happened?" 

 

"I hate you." Regina said, the look in her eyes saying anything but that. 

 

"No you don't. And we've got like 15 more hours of this so you better just settle in and start appreciating my humor." Emma leaned in and kissed Regina solidly. Conveying all her emotions she wasn't willing to let spill out publicly yet. "Damn it, you did distract me." 

 

"I'm very good." Regina sighed, knowing that she couldn't put off an explanation any longer. "It's really your mother's fault."

 

"Isn't everything?" Emma said sarcastically. 

 

"Yes. But this really was. She was driving so damn slow I couldn't take it. I made her get out and I finished driving the last few blocks…when I pulled into the parking lot I didn't notice Dr. Whale crossing and I hit him. End of story." 

 

Emma just nodded her head a little and didn't ask any follow up questions. She was sure there was a little more to the story, but really the only thing that mattered was the fact that she didn't screw anything up. Regina did it all on her own. "So just so I'm clear about this…I got the call your water broke and managed to get here unscathed in under 10 minutes. _You_ on the other hand actually took out our doctor? Does that sound right? I didn't mess this up?"

 

"That's what you're going to take away from this?" Regina rolled her eyes and shook her head. She knew really, the second Dr. Whale had face-planted into the windshield that this was the exact reaction her wife would have. Unwilling to let Emma gloat any more she changed the subject. "What's your mother going to do? What's Plan B?"

 

Emma laughed and knew her short lived victory was over. "To be honest I thought I would screw things up somehow so we came up with some back up plans. Plan B is Doc." Emma held her hands up to stave of the angry retort brewing and quickly silenced the outburst. "Before you get mad we don't really have a choice. We had him read up on multiple births. He delivered me so think of it as a family tradition…"

 

"I guess it's better then the other family tradition we could have followed…" Regina mumbled under her breath. 

 

"I heard that. And really? You're going to hit me with the jail thing?" Emma smiled to take the sting out of the comment, since she hadn't expected anything less from Regina. "Come on. Let's go get you checked in before the next contraction hits. We should have about 10 more minutes." She stood and helped her wife out of the chair, leading her to the front desk. 

 

"I love you." Regina whispered, the situation starting to sink in. She knew without a doubt there was no way she would be able to go through this without Emma by her side. 

 

"I love you too. You can do this, you're the strongest person I know." Emma looked at her with all the love in the world and Regina knew then that everything was going to work out just fine. 

 


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 21

Hour One

"So this is cozy…" Emma said, as she and Regina settled in the birthing room of the hospital. She looked around at the puffy drapes, ridiculous art, and the lack of anything that looked strictly medical. 

"It's horrendous. I know I'm still at the hospital and clearly not at home." Regina said, grumpily. 

"Still better than jail. Unless you want to re-think that tradition thing?" Emma said with a smile, knowing full well the room was horrendous, but their banter served as a great distraction for them both. 

Regina just glared at her wife and didn't bother responding to the jab. "When is the Dwarf going to be here?" 

"Snow just texted. He's on his way up now…" She glanced towards the door when they heard a timid knock. "And there he is. Come on in Doc!"

Doc shuffled in the room, still very intimidated by the situation. He had been extremely uncomfortable about this when Emma and Snow had originally approached him about being the backup, but had agreed, reluctantly, assuming the chances of actually being used were slim. Yet, here he was about to deliver the Evil Queen & the Saviour's twin babies. The pressure was undeniable and he hoped he was up to the task. "Hello." 

Emma and Regina glanced at each other, not sure how to proceed. The poor guy looked like he wanted the floor to open up and swallow him whole. Fearing Regina's impatience Emma spoke up first. "Doc, you're just going to have to man up here. You're kind of our only hope right now. I mean I read up on some stuff as part of Plan F…anyway…I don't think either one of us wants me to have to do this." Emma glanced at Regina again and she was emphatically shaking her head no. 

The dwarf nodded his head in agreement and slowly crept the rest of the way into the room. "I'm…I'm going to have to check her…" Doc's eyes darted from Emma's to Regina's mid section, hoping to convey what he meant. 

"Stomach?" Emma said hopefully. 

Doc shook his head no once and continued to dart his eyes between Emma and Regina. Regina finally snapped. "Oh for God's sake. I'm not some delicate flower who has no idea how this works. I assume that your shifty dwarf eyes are trying to say you need to check how far I'm dilated, yes?" 

Emma and the Doc just stared at the floor, both unwilling to look Regina in the eyes. Doc slowly shook his head in the affirmative. 

"Then you'd better get to it. I'd like to move this along please." Regina said, with an air of confidence.

"Um…I don't think that's…" Emma started. 

"Shut up." 

Doc used their sparing as a distraction as he slid his stool closer to the bed and carefully lifted the sheet covering Regina's legs, wary of a belated reaction from the woman. With a quick examination he pulled the sheet back in place and pushed the stool back slightly. "Everything looks to be progressing normally. You're dilated to a one right now, which is good. You need to be at about a ten before you start to push." 

"So how much longer?" Emma asked. 

"I'd say, right now my best guess is about 12-15 hours." 

"WHAT?!?!" Regina bellowed and Emma just shook her head, resigned to the fact that it was going to be the longest day of her life. 

Doc slowly backed his way towards the exit and with an apologetic glance towards Emma he slipped out the door. 

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Hour Three

"Henry's down in the lobby. He wants to know if it's safe to come up." Emma said, waving her phone a little at Regina. The two had been entertaining themselves with them in between contractions and Henry would be a welcome break from the monotony. 

"Of course it's safe. What does he think is happening in here?" Regina asked, unable to hide her excitement at a distraction. 

"I don't know. He's 16. Don't you think it's good that this scares him? I mean when I was 16…" 

"Just tell him to come up here." Regina rolled her eyes, although secretly in agreement with Emma. 

A few minutes later Henry knocked on the door before walking in, taking in the room's decor. "This room is horrible. Why didn't you change it?" He asked, directing the question towards Regina. 

"I tried. About an hour ago, but it seems that my magic isn't working right now." At Henry's look of alarm Regina was quick to reassure him. "I've been told it's completely normal. Something about this process being natural and the bodies way of preventing anything happening while I'm out of control."

"Oh, okay. So how long is this going to take?" Henry asked, taking a seat in one of the chairs by the bed. 

"Apparently forever." Regina quipped, shooting a glare towards Emma. 

Emma just ignored her wife, focusing her attention on Henry. "Like 10 or so more hours."

Henry scrunched up his face. "Do I have to stay the whole time? Or can I just come back and meet them when they get here?" 

"That's fine, Henry." Regina said, her love for her son evident in the way she spoke to him. "I don't even want to really be here for the next ten hours, but I already asked and I can't just come back later." She shot Emma another glare. "Tell me about your day honey. I need a good distraction." 

"It was fine. We were just over at Nic's hanging out. Nothing too exciting…" Henry trailed off when he saw Regina start to grimace. Emma looked down at her watch and then over at Henry. 

"Uh, kid I'm not sure you want to be in here for this…" She said, hoping he'd understand what was happening. 

"Yeah, I'm just going to…uh...go…I'll see you guys later." He bolted from the room before Regina's contraction made it into full swing. 

Gripping her wife's hand, Regina went through the breathing they'd practice over the course of the last few contractions, Emma's free hand on her back, comforting her more than she thought possible. 

"You're doing great babe, this one was a little early which is good. It means things are moving along." Emma beamed at her wife, getting more excited about meeting their babies as the minutes ticked by. Regina smiled at Emma through the last part of the pain and when it subsided kissed her hand that she'd practically been crushing the last few minutes. "I love you. I just wanted you to know that now…I think that maybe…" 

"Babe, I know how this works. You're gonna start screaming you hate me, you did this to me…blah blah blah. I get it. I've done this before remember? I would have loved to have screamed at someone when I had Henry. I know you love me and as soon as you've got those little babies in your arms your going to forget all about the pain." Emma leaned up and kissed her wife, putting all the emotion she could into the action. 

"Thank you." Regina looked lovingly at Emma for a few beats, before shaking the tears forming in her eyes away. "What do you want to do now?" 

Emma shrugged her shoulders a little. "Words with Friends?" 

"Okay." 

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Hour Five

"I need to get up." Regina said, trying her best not to snap the words at her wife. 

"Maybe you should let Doc finish up down there first…" Emma replied, jerking her head towards Regina's feet. 

Doc's head popped up at the mention of his name. "I'm all done. She's at about a 3 now. It's actually good if she can get up and walk around a little."

"You can talk to me directly." Regina said calmly. The man had only been talking to Emma since he first came in and if he was going to be the one to deliver the babies he was going to need to get over whatever was stopping him and quickly. 

"I…I…I…" Doc stuttered.

"Never mind." Regina huffed and Doc addressed Emma again. 

"She can walk around for short periods of time up until her contractions are about 5 minutes apart." He said quickly before exiting the room.

"What is his problem? I haven't done anything remotely Evil-Queen-like in years." 

"I..um…I think it's more that every time he comes in he has to look at your vagina. I mean it's not like the guy sees them everyday or anything….so…"

Regina just stared at her wife a few beats, unable to come back with a witty quip or even a snarky comment. Emma had a point. She'd have a hard time talking to Charming if she had to examine his parts every hour or so. She dismissed the train of thought with a wave of her hand and decided a walk was just what they both needed. "Can you make sure the hallway stays clear while we walk? I don't want…"

Emma cut her off immediately. "Please don't say you don't want the peasants to see you?"

With a roll of her eyes Regina continued, "I was going to say I prefer that only you see me in such a vulnerable state." 

Emma's eyes widened at such an honest admission from her wife without any prompting. "Yeah, okay. Yeah, I can do that. Just give me a minute. I know Snow and Charming are still hanging around. I'll have them do crowd control." She leaned over and kissed Regina's forehead and murmured a quick I love you before she was out the door. 

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Hour Eight

"Oh god! Make it stop, make it stop, make it stop!!!!" Regina was screaming at the top of her lungs, crushing Emma's hand with hers as she suffered through another contraction. 

"I don't think we want them to stop babe. You can do this…" Emma said, out of her element on how to comfort her wife at the moment. She hoped that her best shot was good enough. 

"Distract me…" Regina ground out between breaths. 

"Okay, um…did I ever tell you how Ruby and Belle got together?" Emma glanced at her wife's face and when she wasn't acknowledged she rushed on with her story. "It was right after I set fire to your kitchen…I was pretty upset about that one and feeling down and well just pissed really that I couldn't get anything to go right. I went home that night and got completely shit-faced, which I hadn't really done for awhile you know?" Emma felt a little extra squeeze on her hand so she took that as a sign to continue. "Anyway, I decided in my drunken state that I was just going to call you and confess everything and tell you how much I thought I could love you and would you want to love me back? The only problem was when I dialed you I hit Ruby's name instead of yours…'cause I couldn't really see straight…So I proceeded to leave a long, rambling profession of love on Ruby's voicemail instead of yours. I don't know how I missed her greeting, other than you know I was drunk so what the hell?" 

"You're a complete idiot." Regina broke in, her eyes saying something totally different then her words. The contraction was subsiding and Emma's story had done enough to get her through the last of it. 

"I know. Anyway, so I guess that next morning Belle stopped by the diner to see Ruby and she was the first one there so Ruby was still running around trying to get things opened up. She'd left her phone sitting on the counter and Belle noticed she had a missed voicemail and asked Rubes if she wanted her to check it in case it was important. So she proceeded to listen to my rambling message and apparently I didn't actually say your name because Belle thought I really had left it for Ruby…and let's just say that gave her the courage to set Ruby straight on who exactly she belonged to. Ruby didn't have the heart to tell her for quite awhile about how she knew I was after you and that it was just a drunk dial." 

"What did you do the next morning?" Regina asked, genuinely intrigued about the story. 

"Ruby was pretty quick to tell me I'd left the message to her and not you so that I didn't go saying something to you. I was a little relieved and a little disappointed to be honest. It wasn't the way I'd wanted it to come out, but a part of me just wanted you so bad that…well I would have taken anything really, just to have you know." Emma continued to hold onto the hand Regina had used to crush hers during the last contraction, stroking her thumb lightly across the back of it, enjoying such an intimate moment and reveling in how much their relationship had changed over the years. It was so easy just to be devastatingly honest with Regina, regardless of how embarrassing or terrible the story was she wanted to tell. Regina knew her inside and out and there wasn't an ounce of fear left in Emma that she could ever say something to make Regina un-love her. "I love you." Emma said simply.

"I'm sorry that you had to try for so long Emma. If I'd known…" 

"Don't be sorry. I'm not. For the first time in my life I fought, fought hard for something that was just for me and I think that just makes me appreciate it even more." 

Regina gazed into her wife's eyes, searching for something, she didn't know what. All she saw reflecting back at her was love and adoration and she was still amazed that that look was directed at her on a daily basis. "I love you." Regina said, the moment between them perfect and she knew that really, what more was there to be said?

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Hour Ten

"I thought this walking was supposed to be helping things?" Regina asked, on her second lap around the nurses station. 

"It is. You heard Doc, he said you're at an 8 right now. We're getting super close." Emma kept her hand on Regina's lower back while they walked slowly down the hallway. The contraction's were almost 10 minutes apart and it was just enough time to make two loops before they went back into the room. "Some women are in labor for like 24 hours…"

"That's not helping." Regina glanced at her wife, not finding enough every to put the snark behind the comment it deserved. "I just want to kiss their faces and squeeze them and love them." Her eyes started to burn with the confession, getting more frustrated by the minute at being so closed to holding her babies and yet so far away. She felt Emma's hand rubbing a little more intensely, a silent sign of her support. 

"You'll be able to in just a little while. We're so close I just know it's going to go quick now. Besides, just keep thinking about Snow pacing down in the waiting room…the longer it takes the more she suffers in those horrible chairs…" Emma smiled at her wife, hoping the comment would at least get a smirk out of her. 

"There is that…if this was Charmed I could just orb them out and we'd be finished with this." Regina moaned, her tone uncharacteristically whiny. 

"No, if this was Charmed a demon would be after us, no one would have magic for some reason or another, and you'd end up pushing these kids out on a dining room table without the aid of any doctors or nurses…" 

"How exactly is that different from our current situation?" Regina mused.

"Shut up. There's no demons around so…"

"Didn't you just say your mother was still in the waiting room?" Regina cocked one eyebrow, quite proud that she still had enough to snark about Snow. 

"Regina! Dammit…" Emma just shook her head, unable to keep the smirk off her face. "Okay, that was a pretty good one. Let's get you back to the room. You're due for another contraction." 

"Yes, dear." 

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Hour 12

Regina glared at Emma, her eyes narrowing at her wife's latest suggestion. 

"So that's a no then?" Emma asked, hopeful that maybe she could change her stubborn wife's mind. 

"I refuse." Regina said, crossing her arms over her chest. 

"FIne. But I'm telling you it would help." Emma said with a shrug of her shoulder. Regina had been complaining about the growing pain in her back, but she was unwilling to take any of the suggestions the nurse or Emma herself made. 

"There is not a chance in hell that I am going to sit on a fitness ball or getting in a bathtub right now. I want to push. If you want to help my back pain go get Doc and tell him it's time. Getting these babies out will help my back pain." Regina snapped, feeling the next contraction coming on. "I can't do this again Em….aaarrrghh!! I can't, I can't…" Her voice fading out, replaced by a few pitiful sobs as she rode out the latest contraction with Emma.

"I love you. You know that right?" Emma said, hesitant about her next words but she'd been saving them and she knew they would do the trick. Regina just rolled her eyes a little at the sentiment, clearly showing her impatient with Emma at the moment. "Okay, right…well…I'm only saying this for your own good okay? Okay…If Snow can do this while your Curse to End all Curses was taking out an entire world you can do this too. Are you going to let her out tough you?"

Regina growled, a throaty, viscous noise that made Emma scoot her chair back from the bed a little, scared about what was going to happen next. "No.I won't. In fact, why don't you go get your mother so she can watch me kick the ass of when she pushed one baby out of her vagina." Regina sobered a little, her burst of aggression slipping away. "Besides, she'll need to cut the cords because there is no chance you are going any where near that end of me while the babies are coming out. I want to have sex with you again someday and I will not have you scarred by the image. And have Charming get Henry too, since we're getting so close." 

"You know I wouldn't get…" Emma stopped her thought when Regina narrowed her eyes at her. "Right, get Snow, get Henry. I'll be right back."

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Hour 14

"I can see a head. Just one more push…" Doc said, excited that finally after an hour of pushing, relief was finally on the way. 

Regina bared down again, pushing with everything she had, fortified somehow by the presence of Snow. Most everything was a competition to Regina and she knew that rationally childbirth shouldn't be, but thinking about it as one had helped her through the last hour of pushing and she planned to continue on that way until the babies were out. Suddenly confused, almost disorientated by an instant loss of pressure in her abdomen she looked towards Emma, who was staring at her mother intently. 

"Snow?" Emma asked timidly, her mother uncharacteristically expressionless.

Snow's face suddenly transformed and she mumbled a half hearted apology about concentrating on cutting the right part. "It's a boy!" She held him up, tilting him just enough for both mothers to see him, before handing him off to a nurse to clean off. 

"It's a boy." Emma repeated, leaning in to kiss her wife, tears streaming down both their faces. 

"Um…I don't want to…" Doc's voice interrupting the moment. "It's time to push again…just one more time…" 

Regina gave Emma's forehead one more kiss and turned forward, resolute on getting this last push over so she could hold both her babies. Baring down again, she was surprised when the release of pressure happened much more quickly and she turned her eyes towards Snow. Within seconds Snow was holding up another baby, her own eyes filled with tears. "It's a girl…" She said, her own memories of a baby Emma flooding back to her. Snow handed the baby girl over to the nurse and slipped out quickly to go fetch Charming and Henry from the waiting room. 

Within minutes they all came barreling back into the room, Henry leading the charge. When he pushed threw the door he saw both of his mothers on the bed, each with a baby in their arms. Regina was the first to look up and she offered him a watery smile, unable to voice anything to him. He made his way to her side of the bed and Emma finally broke the silence. "Henry, I'd like you to meet your brother Blake Garrett and your sister Carter Grace." 

He leaned over and touched both their noses with a single finger, scared that anything more would wake them up. Bending down to the bundle in Regina's arms he whispered, loud enough for his mothers to hear, "The girls are still going to out number us, but I'll teach you a few things that will have them all wrapped around your little finger…" 

"Henry." Regina said with a loud sigh, smiling despite herself, because how could she not? She had a happy, healthy family surrounding her and she knew it didn't get any better than that. 

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Epilogue

 

"Mom!"

Poke.

"Mommy!"

Poke. Poke.

Regina Swan-Mills was stuck. And she'd been stuck long enough to trace her current predicament right back to Emma. She couldn't really blame herself or her own children. 

Poke. "Mommy!!"

And she was getting poked in the ass by a very sword happy 3 year old. 

"Yes, darlings. Give mommy one second please." Regina said, every ounce of irritation she'd built up the longer she lay hidden gone from her voice. 

"You stuck? Mama Em is stuck too…" Blake said, giving the only part of his mom visible one more poke for good measure. 

"Of course she is…" Regina mumbled under her breath. With a heavy sigh, Regina decided to just poof her way out of her current position and in a wave of purple smoke she was standing upright once again in front of her two very excited children. 

"Pretty Mommy!" Carter squealed with delight, as she clapped a few times excitedly. Her demeanor changed quickly when her brother leaned over and whispered something in her ear. "Sorry…you ready?" Carter watched as Blake nodded once and they both turned towards their mother, who was watching their exchange intently. 

"WE WILL ALWAYS FIND YOU!!!!" The squealed together, continuing to laugh as they were both scooped up by their mom in a surprising feat of agility. 

Regina spun the giggling bundles around a few times before setting them back down, the pair getting almost to heavy to pick up anymore. "And where did we learn that from?" She said, eyebrow cocked and arms crossed over her chest. 

"Mama Em said that when we play hides 'n seek we should say it 'cause you looooove it." Carter explained quickly. Earning an enthusiastic nod from her brother in agreement. 

"Mmmhhmmm. And where is Mama Em?" Regina asked, the smiles and laughter of the two wiping away any irritation she might have once had at hearing that phrase. 

"She gots stuck in the bath tub again…" Blake said solemnly. "Said she was too fat for us to help her out." He added with a shrug of his tiny shoulders. 

Regina smiled at both her children, giving them both a few strokes on the head to smooth away their messy hair. "I guess I'll have to go rescue her then, yes?" At the agreement of both kids she pushed them towards the back yard. "You'd better go find your brother, it's almost time to get ready for your birthday party." She watched in delight as they both raced off to hunt for their older brother, home from college for the weekend just for their party. Blake's sword was raised in the air as he ran and Carter's bow dragging on the ground behind her. With a shake of her head she started up the stairs to find her wife. 

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Emma jumped when the shower curtain was suddenly pulled back from the tub. Her game of Angry Birds suddenly forgotten. She looked up at her wife sheepishly. "I got stuck again…" She said with a shrug, a habit Blake had already picked up from her. 

"And why is it that you keep insisting on hiding in here when we play this game when you know you can't get out by yourself?" Regina said, smiling down at the scrunched up heap her wife was in. 

"I'm too fat to fit anywhere else. Besides, it's kinda hot when you have to come rescue me and pull me out…" Emma said, her eyebrows wiggling with innuendo. 

Regina just shook her head. She'd heard the same excuse from Emma all week and it was quickly running out of steam. She was too fat to sit in the car, too fat to go to work, to fat for her clothes. Enough was enough. "Listen to me very carefully Emma. For the very last time. You are not fat. You are 8 months pregnant. Need I remind you I carried 2 little angles around and you've only got one in there?" 

Emma blinked up at her wife, knowing that she had no room to argue. "Pregnant not fat. You carried around more than me. Got it. Now can you help me out please?" She looked up at Regina with the biggest puppy dog eyes she could muster. Regina just reached her hands out and helped pull her up and out of the tub. Once she was successfully back on her feet the look on Regina's face softened considerably and all her attention was on Emma's rounded belly. 

"Definitely not fat darling. You look beautiful pregnant." Regina said, her hands rubbing over her wife's rounded belly as she murmured quietly to it. Regina glanced up once she finished her whispering and smirked at Emma. "If it makes you feel better I crawled behind the couch and got stuck as well." 

Emma laughed at the imagery and shook her head ruefully. "Are we getting old?" 

"We'd better not be…we have to keep up with this little one now too." Regina said, pointing back down to Emma's belly. 

"Yeah, and if all the kicking and dancing on my bladder is any indication we're going to have our work cut out for us." Emma smiled and leaned in to kiss her wife softly. "Wouldn't change any of it for the world though." 

"Me neither, dear." Regina said, the love and happiness shining in her eyes.


End file.
